Session B9: Is Dominican Blackness Behind the Ear?

Is Dominican Blackness Behind the Ear? Impact of museum formation in the contemporary Dominican museum's practice

Patricia Encarnación, Academic and artivist, New York University

Caribbean museography reflects the imposition of the global North's cultural canon onto the global South, influenced by colonial legacies, conservative
ideologies, and resource limitations. This study investigates how museum formation shapes Caribbean curatorial practices, particularly the (mis)
representation of indigenous and African heritage. Drawing on Wayne Modest's theory of Caribbean knowledge production and Eilean Hooper-Greenhill's ideas on museums as knowledge shapers, the research contrasts the extraction of Indigenous culture with the neglect of Afro-Caribbean heritage.
This research challenges prevailing museum colonial practices, emphasizing that decolonization is not merely symbolic. It focuses on three museums—
the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the Dominican Man, and the Eduardo León Jimenes Cultural Center, and revisits historian Danilo De Los
Santos's work. Beyond academia, this research is a call to action, aiming to foster discourse on inclusive museum practices and contribute to redefining
Caribbean, specifically Dominican, identity through a nuanced understanding of African heritage.