Anna Toledano (Los Altos History Museum), Nathan Smith (National Museum of Wales), Felipe Eguiarte Souza, (Pavek Museum of Electronic Communication), Olin Moctezuma-Burns (University of Cambridge), "Lost Objects: Histories and Futures of Collections": A Reprisal and Discussion of the 2024 CALM Caucus HSS Session
This session will feature a discussion of this year's CALM-sponsored session on "Lost Objects," which will take place at this year's HSS Meeting in Merida. The session abstract is as follows:
Considering the growing uncertainty of funding for historically-focused institutions around the globe along with the critical reviewing of the imperial colonial foundations of many of these institutions,we find ourselves at a critical moment for reflection. This roundtable will explore the ever-changing meaning of the objects in our collections, looking at how the smallest unit of an institution can tell us its actors’ values through what they collected and what they discarded or ignored and why. By highlighting specific objects in these collections, presenters will open the conversation about the future of our professions and institutions. By discussing their objects' imperfect pasts and uncertain futures in a post-truth society, the forces that have imbued them with value, and the reasons why they were collected. The place of the archive, library, and museum is being renegotiated and its future is uncertain.That is why we propose that only through an understanding of the communities originating of these objects is the only way to think about the future of our institutions, a future that must include the participation of these communities. Let us discuss what lies ahead and how we can make our collection work more inclusive and better for future generations.