The Hunterian

Collections tell stories – but whose stories? At The Hunterian, we’re asking uncomfortable questions about what collections reveal, while reimagining the roles museums can play in society today.

In Curating Discomfort, we explore the uncomfortable reality of museums as products of colonial systems, such as the British Empire. This series brings together community activists, social justice campaigners, and educators to dismantle the colonial ideologies embedded in collections and labels. It’s time to think critically about the past in our present.

Through The Emotional Museum, University of Glasgow researchers explore the complex feelings evoked by collections and museum spaces. Moving beyond labels and glass cases, we ask what objects really do to us. From joy to anger, discover how emotional responses reveal truth about power, identity and belonging – while reimagining what museums could be.