Racism is a significant problem in modern societies. People of all, although mainly non-Western European cultures, are discriminated against on a daily basis, based on their skin colour, religion...Show moreRacism is a significant problem in modern societies. People of all, although mainly non-Western European cultures, are discriminated against on a daily basis, based on their skin colour, religion and other characteristics. This thesis aims to assess the suitability of the museum to counteract racism against people of African descent. Placing museum exhibition into the context of modern museology and social priorities it asks: How are the memories and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade as an example of sensitive heritage curated in museums in the Netherlands and Britain today, and how could this be used to counteract modern racism? In this context, sensitive heritage is that heritage which is embedded with conflicting emotions on different sides and should approached sensibly. The racism debate restricts itself to racist behaviour against people of African descent, because racism based on external features developed during the age of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. Two exhibitions, Afterlives of slavery in the Netherlands, and the International Slavery Museum in Britain, have been subjected to analysis based on their chosen perspectives, the connection they made between past and present, and the extent to which they actively engage the visitor in the exhibition and beyond. The ISM has a broader geographical perspective, but is mainly Eurocentric. AoS is multiperspective in point of view, but lacks detail due to its small scale. Both exhibitions create a link between past and present, although the ISM focusses on the positive legacies, whereas AoS specifically addresses racism. Although both museums invite the visitor to leave their opinion, there is little other active engagement and there is no stimulation to take the dialogue outside the museum. Nonetheless, the analysis has shown that a museum, by its intrinsic subjectivity does have the potential to contribute to the understanding of the origins of racism and its modern consequences. This understanding, if taken outside the museum can contribute to the diminishing of racism.Show less
