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Museums and heritage research

Museums, heritage and public history is a rapidly expanding area at Birkbeck and we engage with the most pressing issues of the day, including museum closures, legacies of colonialism, migration, contested histories and diversity.

Our academics and researchers adopt a collaborative spirit, working together through centres and networks to share areas of expertise that cultivates innovative, interdisciplinary research.

The ongoing work of the Mapping Museums Lab, a collaboration with Birkbeck's School of Computer Science, researches the emergence, distribution and closure of museums, and their afterlives. Birkbeck also co-hosts the Raphael Samuel History Centre with Queen Mary, University of London, exploring London history and history from below, and is dedicated to taking history into the wider community.

Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, within walking distance of a wide range of national museums and galleries, collections and archives, we provide a hub for intellectual exchange and debate relating to all aspects of museology, curation and heritage.

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CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

RESEARCH CENTRES AND NETWORKS

PAST RESEARCH PROJECTS

Our staff have been involved in many unique research projects, among them the following: 

Information for staff and students