{Kurz je pod tímto kódem určen studujícím magisterských studijních programů. V případě, že je kurz sdílen s bakalářským studiem, mohou si studující bakaláře zapsat jeho bakalářskou variantu s kódem začínajícím na "YB".}
The course focuses on examining and discussing current issues that influence the production and organization of exhibitions from the perspective of decolonial and feminist practices in the context of post-socialist Central Europe. The course asks why it is important to consider the decolonial project in the context of post-socialist Central Europe. Socialist international cooperation included exchanges of workers and students (from Vietnam, Cuba, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East) and political and economic alliances, representing a strong anti-colonial solidarity. What happened to migrants from the global South after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Are their stories part of the collective memory of Ostalgie? What were the experiences of already present internally racially discriminated neighbors, specifically the Roma? The course will focus on the history of museums, including cabinets of curiosities and freak shows. We will also look at institutional critique, feminist curating, and reflect on the concept of curatorial materialism. We will discuss how the care of objects in collections in contemporary curating is shifting towards broader social care and responsibility. The course will reflect on institutional whiteness and look at the cultural heritage of the Vietnamese diaspora in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and will discuss the establishment of the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno as a result of the emancipation of Romani intellectuals in the 1990s. The course will seek to answer and discuss the following questions: What happens to political projects when they are exhibited or even enclosed in normative spaces such as museums or exhibitions? How can curating be perceived as care and inclusion? How can we exhibit from a decolonial perspective? How can we creatively transform historical traumas through curatorial practices? The course takes the form of a seminar and is based on active participation and classroom discussions, including film screenings, excursions, and visits to galleries and museums.
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
The course focuses on examining and discussing current issues that influence the production and organization of exhibitions from the perspective of decolonial and feminist practices in the context of post-socialist Central Europe. The course asks why it is important to consider the decolonial project in the context of post-socialist Central Europe. Socialist international cooperation included exchanges of workers and students (from Vietnam, Cuba, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East) and political and economic alliances, representing a strong anti-colonial solidarity. What happened to migrants from the global South after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Are their stories part of the collective memory of Ostalgie? What were the experiences of already present internally racially discriminated neighbors, specifically the Roma? The course will focus on the history of museums, including cabinets of curiosities and freak shows. We will also look at institutional critique, feminist curating, and reflect on the concept of curatorial materialism. We will discuss how the care of objects in collections in contemporary curating is shifting towards broader social care and responsibility. The course will reflect on institutional whiteness and look at the cultural heritage of the Vietnamese diaspora in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and will discuss the establishment of the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno as a result of the emancipation of Romani intellectuals in the 1990s. The course will seek to answer and discuss the following questions: What happens to political projects when they are exhibited or even enclosed in normative spaces such as museums or exhibitions? How can curating be perceived as care and inclusion? How can we exhibit from a decolonial perspective? How can we creatively transform historical traumas through curatorial practices? The course takes the form of a seminar and is based on active participation and classroom discussions, including film screenings, excursions, and visits to galleries and museums.
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
Podmínky zakončení předmětu -
Requirements for completing the course
Bachelor’s Students - 4 credits Class attendance (maximum 2 absences), active participation in discussions, reading of required readings and final written assignment.
Final Project: A Curatorial Exhibition Proposal (As part of this final assignment, you will take on the role of an independent curator and develop a proposal for a conceptual exhibition. The main aim of this project is to explore the links between decolonial methodologies and feminist curatorial practices, drawing on the literature covered in the course), by 20.12.2026 at midnight. A curatorial exhibition proposal.
Master’s Students - 6 creditsClass attendance (maximum 2 absences), active participation in discussions, reading of required readings and final written assignment and final essay.
Final Project: A Curatorial Exhibition Proposal (As part of this final assignment, you will take on the role of an independent curator and develop a proposal for a conceptual exhibition. The main aim of this project is to explore the links between decolonial methodologies and feminist curatorial practices, drawing on the literature covered in the course), by 20.12.2026 at midnight. A curatorial exhibition proposal.
Final essay (Provide an analysis of ONE art exhibition of your choice, referring to one of the required readings covered in class to support your argument, in addition to other literature from your own research): Deadline: January 10, 2027, at midnight
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (16.10.2026)
Requirements for completing the course
Bachelor’s Students - 4 credits Class attendance (maximum 2 absences), active participation in discussions, reading of required readings and final written assignment.
Final Project: A Curatorial Exhibition Proposal (As part of this final assignment, you will take on the role of an independent curator and develop a proposal for a conceptual exhibition. The main aim of this project is to explore the links between decolonial methodologies and feminist curatorial practices, drawing on the literature covered in the course), by 20.12.2026 at midnight. A curatorial exhibition proposal.
Master’s Students - 6 creditsClass attendance (maximum 2 absences), active participation in discussions, reading of required readings and final written assignment and final essay.
Final Project: A Curatorial Exhibition Proposal (As part of this final assignment, you will take on the role of an independent curator and develop a proposal for a conceptual exhibition. The main aim of this project is to explore the links between decolonial methodologies and feminist curatorial practices, drawing on the literature covered in the course), by 20.12.2026 at midnight. A curatorial exhibition proposal.
Final essay (Provide an analysis of ONE art exhibition of your choice, referring to one of the required readings covered in class to support your argument, in addition to other literature from your own research): Deadline: January 10, 2027, at midnight
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (16.10.2026)
Sylabus -
6.10 Introduction
13.10 Museums definition, history
20.10 Exhibition visit: Familiar and unfamiliar Vietnam at the Náprstek Museum
27.10 Institutional critique
3.11 – moved to 6.11 The exhibition visit Lázně Liberec (Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Sráč Sam a Kvet Nguyen), fee: 100Kč, the visit is voluntary
10.11 Curatorial Materialism
24.11 Freak Shows and Cabinets of Curiosities
1.12 – moved to 4.12 Field trip to Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, fee: 60 Kč, the visit is voluntary
8.12 Who is included?
15.12 Curating as Care
5.1 Conclusions
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (11.09.2026)
6.10 Introduction
13.10 Museums definition, history
20.10 Exhibition visit: Familiar and unfamiliar Vietnam at the Náprstek Museum
27.10 Institutional critique
3.11 – moved to 6.11 The exhibition visit Lázně Liberec (Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Sráč Sam a Kvet Nguyen), fee: 100Kč, the visit is voluntary
10.11 Curatorial Materialism
24.11 Freak Shows and Cabinets of Curiosities
1.12 – moved to 4.12 Field trip to Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, fee: 60 Kč, the visit is voluntary
8.12 Who is included?
15.12 Curating as Care
5.1 Conclusions
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (11.09.2026)
Studijní opory -
Learning Outcomes
• At the end of the course, students should be able to critically engage with key concepts of curating and museology through lens of feminism and decolonial thinking.
• Learners should be able to develop a critical attention when assessing art exhibitions through the prism of different marginalised groups and multifaceted histories.
• Learners should be able to apply critical debates presented in the course in their furture curatorial practice or academic writing.
ALAMGIR, A. K. and SCHWENKEL, C. (2020), ‘From Socialist Assistance to National Self-Interest: Vietnamese Labor Migration into CMEA Countries’, in J. Mark, A. Kalinovsky and S. Marung (eds), Alternative Globalizations. Eastern Europe and the Postcolonial World, Bloomington: Indiana University
HICKS, D. (2020). The Brutish Museums: The Benin bronzes, colonial violence and cultural restitution. London: Pluto Press. (Filozofická fakulta - Knihovna Jana Palacha)
CZARNECKA, D. and DEMSKI, D. (2021) “Introduction: From Western to Peripheral Voices.”Staged Otherness. Ethnic Shows in Central and Eastern Europe. 1850-1939, 2021, Central European UP.
In this course, we adhere to the values of fairness and transparency in academic work. When creating your own texts, always refer precisely to the sources you have used. If you quote verbatim, put that part of the text in quotation marks and again refer to the source, including the page number (if the source has pagination). For more information, visit the FHS library website.
Guidelines for working with AI
This course is based on critical thinking, joint discussions, forming your own opinion, and self-confidence in your own research and work, so I strongly encourage you not to use artificial intelligence in this course, and if you decide to use it in your research, it is important to be aware of the following points:
·Do not use AI tools to replace your own thinking or analysis, or to avoid engaging with the course content.
Cite any AI tools you use properly, following the citation style.
Provide evidence of how you used the AI tool and how it contributed to your assignment. Explain what you learned from the AI tool, how you verified its accuracy and reliability, how you integrated its output with your own work, and how you acknowledged its limitations and biases.
Take full responsibility for any mistakes or errors made by the AI tool.
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
Learning Outcomes
• At the end of the course, students should be able to critically engage with key concepts of curating and museology through lens of feminism and decolonial thinking.
• Learners should be able to develop a critical attention when assessing art exhibitions through the prism of different marginalised groups and multifaceted histories.
• Learners should be able to apply critical debates presented in the course in their furture curatorial practice or academic writing.
ALAMGIR, A. K. and SCHWENKEL, C. (2020), ‘From Socialist Assistance to National Self-Interest: Vietnamese Labor Migration into CMEA Countries’, in J. Mark, A. Kalinovsky and S. Marung (eds), Alternative Globalizations. Eastern Europe and the Postcolonial World, Bloomington: Indiana University
HICKS, D. (2020). The Brutish Museums: The Benin bronzes, colonial violence and cultural restitution. London: Pluto Press. (Filozofická fakulta - Knihovna Jana Palacha)
CZARNECKA, D. and DEMSKI, D. (2021) “Introduction: From Western to Peripheral Voices.”Staged Otherness. Ethnic Shows in Central and Eastern Europe. 1850-1939, 2021, Central European UP.
In this course, we adhere to the values of fairness and transparency in academic work. When creating your own texts, always refer precisely to the sources you have used. If you quote verbatim, put that part of the text in quotation marks and again refer to the source, including the page number (if the source has pagination). For more information, visit the FHS library website.
Guidelines for working with AI
This course is based on critical thinking, joint discussions, forming your own opinion, and self-confidence in your own research and work, so I strongly encourage you not to use artificial intelligence in this course, and if you decide to use it in your research, it is important to be aware of the following points:
·Do not use AI tools to replace your own thinking or analysis, or to avoid engaging with the course content.
Cite any AI tools you use properly, following the citation style.
Provide evidence of how you used the AI tool and how it contributed to your assignment. Explain what you learned from the AI tool, how you verified its accuracy and reliability, how you integrated its output with your own work, and how you acknowledged its limitations and biases.
Take full responsibility for any mistakes or errors made by the AI tool.
Poslední úprava: Tomková Denisa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (15.09.2025)
