Bernard Mueller

The Astonishing Fate of Soliman al-Halabi (1777-1800)
Or the Request for Post-Mortem Naturalization of Kléber's Assassin Formulated by an Exiled Syrian Collective
The aim of this article is to contribute to the discussion on the restitution of looted property in a colonial context. As such, it is one of a series of articles on claims for restitution, the atypical nature of which sheds light on the symbolic dimension activated by these cases, whether involving human remains or […]

The ›Mystery‹ of the Konkomba’s Severed Thumbs: Historical Fact, Colonial Rumour or Legend of the Defeated?
DCNtR Debate #3. The Post/Colonial Museum
»Forgetting and remembering are equally inventive.« Jorge Luis Borges (1970)  The former ethnographic museum could reinvent itself by exhibiting not only objects but also stories. It is important to allow for anti-colonial resistance to be expressed in a variety of forms, in which the biographical dimension of the narrators is to be taken into consideration. […]

The Bandjoun Station
DCNtR Debate #3. The Post/Colonial Museum
An Interview with Barthélémy Toguo, conducted by Anna Brus and Bernard Müller This conversation focuses on the local activities and community work of the visual arts centre and museum of contemporary art Bandjoun Station in the West-Cameroon highlands.[1] The project that is run by the Cameroonian artist Barthélémy Toguo goes far beyond the model of […]

The Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
A place to forge new connections to the objects
Interview[1] with Emmanuel Kasarhérou. “When it comes to creating exhibitions, a museum constructs certain approaches, it looks at areas, some of which don’t lead anywhere, it explores them nonetheless. That’s the role of the institution, so let’s explore now”. The new director of the Quai Branly Museum Jacques Chirac, discusses his research design with Bernard […]

The postcolonial museum has less objects and more people in it
Voices from the conference 'Museum Collections in Motion‘
  Bernard Müller: Anthropologist and curator, Cologne Bernard Müller is an anthropologist and curator based in Cologne. He studies research devices inspired by the ethnographic field, as they develop today in and outside scientific institutions. He is particularly interested in staging processes, be they scenic devices (theater, rituals, performance, etc.), museum scenographies or any situation […]