Concern about provenance and calls for repatriating museum objects have increased considerably in recent years. In this context, the EU-funded SciCoMove project studies the history of some scientific collections in paleontology, anthropology, botany and related applied sciences. Drawing on the most recent historiography of science and scientific collections, the project shifts focus from major to smaller museums in order to demonstrate a more complex, less centralised and less hierarchical, vision of international scientific exchanges. As a result, SciCoMove will provide a more accurate account of the many dimensions of science collecting practices and multilateral contacts between Europe and Latin America. The generated knowledge will enable museums to better respond to social demands, especially concerning object provenance, and scientists to make better use of historical collections in their research.
This project is based on: 1 – the shift of focus from major to smaller museums in the “provinces” or “peripheries” in order to outline a more complex, less centralized, and less hierarchical vision of scientific exchanges; 2 – a conception of collections as nodes in networks of circulation and as structures producing knowledge, rather than as heritage and conservation institutions; 3 – an ambition to better connect the collections’ archives with the objects exhibited or conserved and provide a wider historical and social meaning to these objects. The overall methodology is based on the material analysis of objects combined with the analysis of archives recording their circulation, dispersion, exchange, and application.
This project promotes collaborations between historians of science, scientists, and museum professionals from nine countries in Latin America and Europe. In line with its objective to better account for the multiple dimensions of science collections and for multilateral interchange between Europe and Latin America, SciCoMove encourages collaborations on equal terms between Latin American and European teams.
