We would like to draw viewers’ attention to the fact that many historical photographs preserved in the Ethnological Collection were taken in colonial contexts characterised by an imbalance in power relations. They were often taken with the express intention of supporting the widespread belief at the time that colonised societies were biologically and culturally inferior to the given colonising power. These photographs reflect colonial ideology and the obtaining power relations, as well the attitudes of the photographers and colonial powers themselves. From today’s perspective, many of these images are racist, exoticising, discriminatory and hurtful. Some photographs depict nakedness. While this form of clothing was and still is common in many cultural contexts, it is well known that women in particular were asked to undress and pose for the photographs. Although we do not wish to adopt Western notions of nakedness, we reserve the right not to publish images taken with a clearly voyeuristic, eroticising or discriminatory perspective in mind.
The exact circumstances in which photographs from colonial contexts were taken and the intentions of the photographers are often not documented. In most cases, the question of whether the people depicted allowed themselves to be photographed voluntarily or were forced to do so, remains unanswered.
Historical photographs can unconsciously reinforce and repeat stereotypes and discriminatory ideas to this day. Historical captions can also be discriminatory and contain racist vocabulary, which is why they need to be contextualised. Ethnic attributions in particular often do not correspond to how the people depicted identify themselves. In order to be transparent about the original captions, they appear in inverted commas.
Decision-making regarding which photographs are published or how images should be displayed is an ongoing negotiatory process that is never complete and raises both legal and ethical questions. As a museum, we considered it our duty to provide access to historical photographs, as they are important historical documents in their own right. At the same time, we have an obligation to preserve the dignity and personal rights of the individuals depicted. However, it is possible that photographs of deceased persons, especially members of the communities of origin, may cause distress and profound sorrow. As far as we are able within our means, we consistently endeavour to involve descendants of the so-called communities of origin in decision regarding whether or not photographs are to be made available to the public.
For further information, please send us a message at: online-sammlung@freiburg.de.