Provenance research of natural and human sciences collections
Museology and History for the Present Day
International symposium
1st -3rd October 2025 Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (Paris)
Auditorium of the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution
Provenance studies have become essential in museum institutions, particularly in France, primarily through inquiries related to art and history collections, and often within the framework of procedures for the settlement and restitution of property looted during the Second World War, or, due to the broadening of the concept over the past two decades, objects acquired in a colonial context.
While these studies primarily stem from the necessity for museums to understand their collections in order to better conserve and value them, the idea of conducting such studies outside the realm of art and history collections struggles to gain legitimacy. In the case of natural and human sciences collections, they are still too often confused with a basic documentation process of the collections, or even regarded as the preliminary step of a restitution operation.
Contrary to this situation, the aim of this symposium is to question provenance research from a perspective that includes natural and human sciences collections. It will provide a first step in reflecting on the theoretical framework of provenance studies specific to naturalia and artificialia, the pathways and treatment of objects within museum and scientific institutions, and the current links between these objects, the places where they are conserved, and their original environments.
This symposium meeting aims to contribute to creating a space for awareness and dialogue between various stakeholders, whether they are scientists, historians, or museologists, museum or university professionals in the fields of natural and human sciences, collection managers, or lawyers.
This conference should also be an opportunity to highlight the latest work in museology and the material culture studies, and to inspire further research in these areas.
Supported by research organizations and the Société des amis du Muséum, it seeks to initiate, through museology, a new research dynamic on natural and human sciences collections, opening up opportunities for national and international collaborations.
The organisers will pay close attention to communication proposals that adopt a clear analytical or methodological approach, whether they are case studies or broader perspectives, and that fit into one of the sessions organized around four themes:
1-Provenance research, especially those applied to natural and human sciences collections, in their theoretical and practical dimensions: concept, history, object, law, best practices in collection management, stakeholders, disciplinary uses and specificities, relationships between provenance studies, object biography, and collection documentation, etc.
2-Collections in museum and scientific institutions of natural and human sciences, from collection to management by these institutions: knowledge dissemination, museography, conservation-restoration, restitution requests, adherence to international standards, valorisation, etc.
3-Contemporary links, either existing or to be developed, between objects, conservation institutions, the original collecting environments and populations, as well as transnational activist groups mobilizing on these issues: common knowledge building around these collections, modalities for sharing information and objects, etc.
4-The role, initiatives, and historical expertise of scientific institutions in museology (state of art, history of practices and concepts, museum audiences, exhibition narratives, evolution of museum discourses, resources deployed, etc.), and public cultural policies regarding provenance studies.
Communication proposals will be accepted until April 15, 2025.
They should include a title, an abstract (French or English) of 3 000 characters including spaces, indicating the sources and methodological choices, the author(s) name(s), their titles, and institution affiliation(s).
Proposals should be sent to: provenances@sciencesconf.org
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