"Where are we now?": En/countering Colonialities in the Grant Museum

This panel event will bring together Subhadra Das, Displays of Power curator, independent writer and historian; Jack Ashby, Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge; and Miranda Lowe, Principal Curator at the Natural History Museum, London.

Speakers

Subhadra Das

Subhadra Das is a writer, historian, broadcaster, and comedian who looks at the relationship between science and society. Formerly Curator of the Science Collections at UCL, she has written and presented podcasts and stand-up comedy shows, curated museum exhibitions, and has appeared on radio and TV. Her first book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made the West, was published in 2024.

Jack Ashby

Jack Ashby is an award-winning author and zoologist who explores the biases influencing how nature is presented to the world, particularly through museums and their colonial legacies. This is the topic of his new book Nature's Memory: Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums. Jack is Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, President of the Society for the History of Natural History, and former Manager of the Grant Museum.

Miranda Lowe

Miranda Lowe is a principal curator and marine invertebrate specialist at the Natural History Museum, London. She has a deep interest in the politics of natural history display of both fauna and flora, and the role that art, science and museums play in our understanding of the natural world. Miranda was awarded a place on Radio Four BBC Women’s Hour Power List 2020: Our Planet, as a woman whose work is making a significant positive contribution to the environment and the sustainability of our planet.

Background

This panel event continues our event series En/countering Colonialities: Legacies in the Museum which runs from 04 February to 28 March 2025. It’s part of our Architecting Futures season, bringing together art, collections and research towards common hopeful futures.

Audience

Suitable for ages 18+

Access

Access to the museum, and all public areas within it, is step-free. Further information can be found on the planning your visit page.

Finding us

The Museum is located in Bloomsbury, in the heart of central London. The nearest tube stations are Euston Square (Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City), Goodge Street (Northern Line), Warren Street (Victoria Line), and buses 18, 30, 73, 134 and 205 stop 3-5 minutes away on Euston Road. See planning your visit.