Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Museum & Society
Volume
22
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
Minerals are uniquely tied to colonialism, labour, and environment; however, those relationships have traditionally not been described in mineral catalogues – an omission that limits curators’ ability to account for mineral histories. This paper re-imagines mineral cataloguing practices to restore historical, cultural, and environmental contexts that were stripped away. We describe the roles of citations; linked data; provenience and provenance histories; non-standardized and ‘unapproved’ nomenclatures; positionality; and the need to label archival silences. We examine the risks and practical limitations that arise in attempting to turn this colonial tool against itself. In discussing these issues, we contribute to ongoing dialogues about rendering museum databases and the science of geology more inclusive.
Citation
Robbins, Carrie; Hearth, Selby; Weldon, Marianne; Anderson, Aha; Bieber-Stanley, Rosa; Chernila, April; Christ, Helen; Cosgrove, Hannah; Hanson-Rosenberg, Morgan; Hill, Carly; Hofstetter, Maya; Lazo, Emily; Ludlow, Izzie; Lyster, Samantha; Myers, Rachel; Nash, Jasper; Reed, Georgia; and Saint- Amour, Julia, "Cataloguing Minerals, Part Two: Re-imagining Mineral Catalogue Descriptions to Address Colonial Legacies" (2024). Geology Faculty Research and Scholarship. 29.
https://repository.brynmawr.edu/geo_pubs/29
