GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig
GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig
We are delighted to welcome the Saxony State Ethnographic Collections as a participant of the WanBel global project.
The GRASSI Leipzig Ethnological Museum GRASSI (GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig) is one of the oldest and most important ethnological museums in Germany. It holds 200,000 objects, 100,000 pictures and other documents as well as more than 100,000 books.
The collections offer insights into various ways of life, religious beliefs and artistic traditions from all parts of the world. They document historical disruptions as well as cultural continuities and mirror global developments like migration, climate change or economic ties. At the same time the objects bear witness to creative power, ingenuity and the importance of living tradition – all of them aspects that until now in many societies contribute to the strengthening of cultural identity. About 11,000 objects document the cultural richness of Papua New Guinea.
The museum actively explores current questions of the origins and histories of its collections.
This means, for instance, to discuss the acquisition of objects within colonial contexts and to work on questions of restitution and repatriation of human remains. Our aim is to treat our inherited collections responsibly, with openness, respect and the will for dialogue. Central to this process are new formats of presentation and imparting of knowledge as well as an intensified cooperation with people of communities of origin and persons of differing cultural backgrounds who are living in Saxony. Another focus is on cooperations with national and international partner institutions, scientific institutions and representatives of regions of origin. Together we all will gain new insights and new perspectives on the collections in this way and so further the development of a responsible museum practice.
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