Papers by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
Archetype Publications, 2023
Papers were presented at the 37th, 38th and 40th meetings of the DHA group at NOVA Universityof L... more Papers were presented at the 37th, 38th and 40th meetings of the DHA group at NOVA Universityof Lisbon (2018), the University of Amsterdam (2019) and the online conference hosted by the BritishMuseum, London (2021)
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The Oxford Handbook of Museum Archaeology, OUP, 2022
Museums have been critiqued for upholding colonial networks and asymmetrical power relationships,... more Museums have been critiqued for upholding colonial networks and asymmetrical power relationships, but critical museologies and Indigenous community action have resulted in interruptions to dominant paradigms. This chapter introduces some models that have been used to frame these developments, including the ‘contact zone’, noting, however, that multilingual world museologies outside of anglo-phone publications have frequently been overlooked. In the case of archaeological material ‘allochro-nism’ has often alienated contemporary people from their own histories and collections, de-politicizing their display through the spectacle of exotic and distant civilizations. How museums manipulate time and history is examined in this chapter with specific reference to the Maya. There have been few mu-seum projects about the pre-contact Maya that position historical cultures within contemporary Maya theoretical frameworks. Two projects in which contemporary ancestral knowledge in the Yucatan is incorporated into museums with pre-contact Maya collections are presented here, highlighting how Indigenous archaeologies can overturn interpretational frameworks.
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Curator:The Museum Journal, 2022
This paper describes and expands on the discussions held at a symposium at the Research Center fo... more This paper describes and expands on the discussions held at a symposium at the Research Center for Material Culture in the Netherlands in February 2020, which was held as part of the planning of an upcoming “Amazonia” exhibition to be curated at that institution by some of the authors. The symposium invited curators and museum directors who had recently carried out projects with Amazonian communities to share their experiences with co-production and co-curation. The discussion and this paper aim to be a reflexive critical first step before reaching out to potential partners in South America. This paper supplements discussions on participative museology by examining the underlying frameworks of an exhibition project at its outset, in addition to contributing, as happens more commonly, post-rationalizations in a final written evaluation. The discussion furthermore contributes to exhibition co-curation by focusing on Amazonian-European collaborations, which are under-represented in Anglophone museological literature.
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Mapping a New Museum, 2021
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Mapping a New Museum
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Museum Worlds
Throughout human history, the spread of disease has closed borders, restricted civic movement, an... more Throughout human history, the spread of disease has closed borders, restricted civic movement, and fueled fear of the unknown; yet at the same time, it has helped build cultural resilience. On 11 March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) classified COVID-19 as a pandemic. The novel zoonotic disease, first reported to the WHO in December 2019, was no longer restricted to Wuhan or to China, as the highly contagious coronavirus had spread to more than 60 countries. The public health message to citizens everywhere was to save lives by staying home; the economic fallout stemming from this sudden rupture of services and the impact on people’s well-being was mindboggling. Around the globe museums, galleries, and popular world heritage sites closed (Associated Press 2020). The Smithsonian Magazine reported that all 19 institutes, including the National Zoo and the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), would be closed to the public on 14 March (Daher 2020). On the same day, New...
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Museum and Society, 2021
This article reflects on the exhibition Arts of Resistance: Politics and the Past in Latin Americ... more This article reflects on the exhibition Arts of Resistance: Politics and the Past in Latin America, showing how the project challenged common representations of Central and South American art and history by displaying local, often Indigenous, ways of managing cultural heritage, as well as some of the ways that ancestral knowledge and popular arts are used to document and resist political realities. Furthermore, it argues for the overt politicization of museological and exhibitionary perspectives using radical cosmopolitical theory. Through this framework, I argue for the political significance of the art forms included in the exhibition that champion local philosophies and positions in the face of various forms of marginalization.
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Advances in Research: Museum Worlds, 2020
Anthropology and its institutions have come under increased pressure
to focus critical attention ... more Anthropology and its institutions have come under increased pressure
to focus critical attention on the way they produce, steward, and manage cultural
knowledge. However, in spite of the discipline’s reflexive turn, many museums remain
encumbered by Enlightenment-derived legitimating conventions. Although anthropological
critiques and critical museology have not sufficiently disrupted the majority
paradigm, certain exhibitionary projects have served to break with established theory
and practice. The workshop described in this article takes these nonconforming “interruptions”
as a point of departure to consider how paradigm shifts and local museologies
can galvanize the museum sector to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue
in the context of right-wing populism, systemic racism, and neoliberal culture wars.
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Advances in Research: Museum Worlds, 2020
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From Carnival to Lucha Libre; Mexican Masks and Devotions, 2017
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Museum Worlds; Advances in Research, 2019
While museums are perceived as institutions dedicated to the dissemination and exchange of cultur... more While museums are perceived as institutions dedicated to the dissemination and exchange of culturally diverse knowledges, museum scholarship has been hampered by a lack of multilingual networks and publications necessary for the exchange of museological perspectives between different linguistic, regional, and national communities. At the same time, the museum decolonization movement, the move from monocultural to pluricultural societies, the political resurgence of cultural essentialism, escalating environmental deterioration, and the international impact of current migration crises—by both uniting and dividing peoples—have clarified the need for institutions to socially and intellectually engage with the increasingly complex global flows and disruptions of people and ideas.
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Memory, 2018
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Anthropology Now , 2016
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Thesis Chapters by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
Leiden University Online Repository, 2015
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Public engagement by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
ReVista, 2021
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100 histories of 100 worlds in 1 object, 2020
https://100histories100worlds.org/dolphin-tooth-necklace/
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ReVista Harvard Review of Latin America, 2021
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Books by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
Anagrama, 2023
Un nuevo ejercicio de invención a partir del encuentro de la compleja historia de Europa y Améric... more Un nuevo ejercicio de invención a partir del encuentro de la compleja historia de Europa y América.
Exploradores, soñadores y ladrones es una aventura a través de la memoria y los archivos. Este libro es un nuevo ejercicio de invención a partir del encuentro de la compleja historia de Europa y América.
Después del éxito de Volver a contar, el equipo curatorial del Museo Británico y del Hay Festival se unieron de nuevo para animar a diferentes autores a inspirarse en los objetos del museo.
En esta ocasión, la propuesta es un poco diferente. Los creadores fueron invitados a revisar una serie de documentos etnográficos: una profusión de diarios, cartas, bocetos, reflexiones y transacciones, todos referentes al proceso de adquisición de obras. Partiendo de estos materiales, la premisa fue imaginar narrativas propias que tuviesen como protagonistas a aquellos que lograron que esas piezas llegaran al espacio museístico. El proceso produjo un resultado asombroso. Como siempre, la imaginación de los escritores llegó hasta lugares insospechados.
Cualquier lector encontrará, en esta polifonía, un juego enriquecedor y provocador. El camino a través de estos relatos es similar al que emprendieron, algunos siglos atrás, los exploradores, soñadores y ladrones que inspiran este volumen.
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Charco Press, 2022
The Central and South American collection at the British Museum collections contains approximatel... more The Central and South American collection at the British Museum collections contains approximately 62,000 objects, spanning 10,000 years of human history. The vast majority cannot be displayed, and those objects are the subject of Untold Microcosms, a collection of ten stories from ten Latin American writers, and inspired by the narratives about our past that we create through museums, in spite of their gaps and disarticulations.
Featuring new original works by: Yásnaya Elena Aguilar, Cristina Rivera Garza, Joseph Zárate, Juan Cárdenas, Velia Vidal, Lina Meruane, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Dolores Reyes, Carlos Fonseca, Djamila Ribeiro.
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Volver a contar reúne a algunas de las voces más potentes de la literatura contemporánea para deb... more Volver a contar reúne a algunas de las voces más potentes de la literatura contemporánea para debatir sobre el lugar y significado de los museos en la actualidad.
Una mirada nueva y retadora sobre las colecciones de museos, que usa ficciones y posiciones personales para visibilizar vínculos entre colecciones y comunidades locales, esbozando así discusiones sobre colonialismo, estudios de género y culturas originarias.
El Centro Santo Domingo del Museo Británico (SDCELAR) y el Hay Festival invitaron a diez escritores latinoamericanos a un experimento donde cada uno seleccionó una pieza −o un conjunto− para inspirar una novedosa narración. Los autores se acercaron a la tarea con su particular mirada a los objetos y colecciones que proceden originariamente de América Latina. El resultado son textos híbridos que exploran, desde estilos y tonos muy distintos, los orígenes del continente americano y su relación con Europa.
Esta no es una antología de relatos, es un trabajo de narración conjunta que explora vacíos que quedan en el discurso oficial: volver a contar, desde la literatura, lo que fuimos, lo que somos y, quizá, lo que seremos.
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Papers by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
to focus critical attention on the way they produce, steward, and manage cultural
knowledge. However, in spite of the discipline’s reflexive turn, many museums remain
encumbered by Enlightenment-derived legitimating conventions. Although anthropological
critiques and critical museology have not sufficiently disrupted the majority
paradigm, certain exhibitionary projects have served to break with established theory
and practice. The workshop described in this article takes these nonconforming “interruptions”
as a point of departure to consider how paradigm shifts and local museologies
can galvanize the museum sector to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue
in the context of right-wing populism, systemic racism, and neoliberal culture wars.
Thesis Chapters by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
Public engagement by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
Books by Laura Osorio Sunnucks
Exploradores, soñadores y ladrones es una aventura a través de la memoria y los archivos. Este libro es un nuevo ejercicio de invención a partir del encuentro de la compleja historia de Europa y América.
Después del éxito de Volver a contar, el equipo curatorial del Museo Británico y del Hay Festival se unieron de nuevo para animar a diferentes autores a inspirarse en los objetos del museo.
En esta ocasión, la propuesta es un poco diferente. Los creadores fueron invitados a revisar una serie de documentos etnográficos: una profusión de diarios, cartas, bocetos, reflexiones y transacciones, todos referentes al proceso de adquisición de obras. Partiendo de estos materiales, la premisa fue imaginar narrativas propias que tuviesen como protagonistas a aquellos que lograron que esas piezas llegaran al espacio museístico. El proceso produjo un resultado asombroso. Como siempre, la imaginación de los escritores llegó hasta lugares insospechados.
Cualquier lector encontrará, en esta polifonía, un juego enriquecedor y provocador. El camino a través de estos relatos es similar al que emprendieron, algunos siglos atrás, los exploradores, soñadores y ladrones que inspiran este volumen.
Featuring new original works by: Yásnaya Elena Aguilar, Cristina Rivera Garza, Joseph Zárate, Juan Cárdenas, Velia Vidal, Lina Meruane, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Dolores Reyes, Carlos Fonseca, Djamila Ribeiro.
Una mirada nueva y retadora sobre las colecciones de museos, que usa ficciones y posiciones personales para visibilizar vínculos entre colecciones y comunidades locales, esbozando así discusiones sobre colonialismo, estudios de género y culturas originarias.
El Centro Santo Domingo del Museo Británico (SDCELAR) y el Hay Festival invitaron a diez escritores latinoamericanos a un experimento donde cada uno seleccionó una pieza −o un conjunto− para inspirar una novedosa narración. Los autores se acercaron a la tarea con su particular mirada a los objetos y colecciones que proceden originariamente de América Latina. El resultado son textos híbridos que exploran, desde estilos y tonos muy distintos, los orígenes del continente americano y su relación con Europa.
Esta no es una antología de relatos, es un trabajo de narración conjunta que explora vacíos que quedan en el discurso oficial: volver a contar, desde la literatura, lo que fuimos, lo que somos y, quizá, lo que seremos.
to focus critical attention on the way they produce, steward, and manage cultural
knowledge. However, in spite of the discipline’s reflexive turn, many museums remain
encumbered by Enlightenment-derived legitimating conventions. Although anthropological
critiques and critical museology have not sufficiently disrupted the majority
paradigm, certain exhibitionary projects have served to break with established theory
and practice. The workshop described in this article takes these nonconforming “interruptions”
as a point of departure to consider how paradigm shifts and local museologies
can galvanize the museum sector to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue
in the context of right-wing populism, systemic racism, and neoliberal culture wars.
Exploradores, soñadores y ladrones es una aventura a través de la memoria y los archivos. Este libro es un nuevo ejercicio de invención a partir del encuentro de la compleja historia de Europa y América.
Después del éxito de Volver a contar, el equipo curatorial del Museo Británico y del Hay Festival se unieron de nuevo para animar a diferentes autores a inspirarse en los objetos del museo.
En esta ocasión, la propuesta es un poco diferente. Los creadores fueron invitados a revisar una serie de documentos etnográficos: una profusión de diarios, cartas, bocetos, reflexiones y transacciones, todos referentes al proceso de adquisición de obras. Partiendo de estos materiales, la premisa fue imaginar narrativas propias que tuviesen como protagonistas a aquellos que lograron que esas piezas llegaran al espacio museístico. El proceso produjo un resultado asombroso. Como siempre, la imaginación de los escritores llegó hasta lugares insospechados.
Cualquier lector encontrará, en esta polifonía, un juego enriquecedor y provocador. El camino a través de estos relatos es similar al que emprendieron, algunos siglos atrás, los exploradores, soñadores y ladrones que inspiran este volumen.
Featuring new original works by: Yásnaya Elena Aguilar, Cristina Rivera Garza, Joseph Zárate, Juan Cárdenas, Velia Vidal, Lina Meruane, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Dolores Reyes, Carlos Fonseca, Djamila Ribeiro.
Una mirada nueva y retadora sobre las colecciones de museos, que usa ficciones y posiciones personales para visibilizar vínculos entre colecciones y comunidades locales, esbozando así discusiones sobre colonialismo, estudios de género y culturas originarias.
El Centro Santo Domingo del Museo Británico (SDCELAR) y el Hay Festival invitaron a diez escritores latinoamericanos a un experimento donde cada uno seleccionó una pieza −o un conjunto− para inspirar una novedosa narración. Los autores se acercaron a la tarea con su particular mirada a los objetos y colecciones que proceden originariamente de América Latina. El resultado son textos híbridos que exploran, desde estilos y tonos muy distintos, los orígenes del continente americano y su relación con Europa.
Esta no es una antología de relatos, es un trabajo de narración conjunta que explora vacíos que quedan en el discurso oficial: volver a contar, desde la literatura, lo que fuimos, lo que somos y, quizá, lo que seremos.