Issue 2 of the Huellas magazine, published on June 3, 2025, is entitled Las paradojas de la descolonización. Museos y colecciones frente a la colonialidad (The paradoxes of decolonization. Museums and collections facing coloniality), it explores the paradoxes of museum decolonization and features a prominent presence from researchers from the (Tr)african(t)s program.
The introduction to the publication is co-written by Sarai Martín López and Martina Muñoz Ramon and gives way to four contributions that delve into the tensions and challenges of museum decolonization. This issue also includes texts by Jordi Tomàs Guilera and Gustau Nerín Abad, which address different aspects related to the decolonization of museums.
Jordi Tomàs Guilera in his article Descolonización, restituciones y provenance researchen los museos públicos franceses. Una aproximación (Decolonization, restitution and provenance research in French public museums. An approximation) gives a detailed overview of the situation in French public museums after Macron’s speech in 2017 and the Sarr-Savoy report, focusing on the search for provenance, restitution policies and the dilemmas of collaboration with communities of origin.
Gustau Nerín Abad addresses in Espíritus de vuelta a casa. La primera restitución española, en 1982 (Spirits back home. The first Spanish restitution, in 1982) the first Spanish restitution of human remains in Equatorial Guinea in 1982, explaining the historical context, the political implications and the complexity of the patrimonial claim in this pioneering case.
In addition, Celeste Muñoz and Alba Valenciano are part of the editorial board, while Alberto López and Gustau Nerín are part of the publication’s international scientific committee.
You can find the full issue at Las paradojas de la descolonización. Museos y colecciones frente a la colonialidad
