In their latest article, Nélia Dias (CRIA Polo Iscte) and Mounir Sabeh Affaki (CRIA Polo Iscte), published in the International Journal of Heritage Studies, the authors offer a critical analysis of two mineral exhibitions at the National Museum of Natural History and Science (MUHNAC) in Lisbon.

Drawing on the concept of "museal silences", they show how the way minerals are displayed tends to present them as neutral, beautiful scientific objects, while leaving in the shadows their histories of labour, colonial provenance and environmental consequences. The article reveals how mineral collections intersect with the making of national and imperial imaginaries, and argues that museums — by bringing these histories into view — can become agents of climate action and of a just green transition.

A reflection that brings heritage, science, colonialism and the environment into dialogue — and invites us to look at the display cases differently.

This work was carried out as part of the European project PITCH (Horizon Europe).

Full article HERE