The Unsilencing as Restitution (UnRest) project aims to critically re-examine and recontextualize the Robert Jacob Gordon (RJG) collections within the contemporary South African social and political landscape. As a Dutch colonial explorer, RJG’s 18th-century maps, drawings, and travel journals played a crucial role in shaping territorial claims, governance, and knowledge systems in South Africa. The project seeks to unsilence these historical materials by linking them to ongoing debates on colonial legacies, land restitution, and cultural heritage.
UnRest follows a multidisciplinary approach, integrating archival research, oral histories, and digital humanities to analyze the colonial impact on landscapes and indigenous knowledge systems. The research is structured around five key work packages (WPs):
WP1 Project Management and Coordination
WP2 Genealogies of the RJG Collections
WP3 Object Biographies and Contemporary Recuration
WP4 Community Engagement through Workshops and Film
WP5 Capacity Building and a Curatorial Handbook
The project’s impact extends beyond academia, contributing to museum practices, public discourse, and policy-making on heritage restitution. It collaborates with South African and Dutch institutions, including museums, archives, and universities, to facilitate equitable research partnerships.
The expected outcomes include three academic articles, an online collection curation, a documentary film, and a handbook for curators working with colonial collections. By fostering dialogue between local communities, researchers, and policymakers, UnRest aims to reshape the narrative of colonial history and support restitution efforts.
Ultimately, UnRest bridges the past and present, ensuring that historically silenced voices and indigenous knowledge systems are acknowledged and incorporated into contemporary heritage discussions.
