Data feminism in museum collections: mapping principles to practices

Abstract

Introduction. In library, archive, and museum (LAM) collections, there has been much work towards restorative cataloguing and addressing harms found within collection data. However, this work is still being done in ad-hoc ways. As a result, there is both 1) a lack of a comprehensive summary of this work and 2) a gap in connecting this work to similar research in critical data studies. Parallel to this, the recent publication data feminism, offers a framework for critically examining data practices through a lens of power and oppression.

Method. This qualitative systemic review maps the seven principles of Data Feminism (Examine Power, Challenge Power, Elevate Emotion and Embodiment, Re-think Binaries and Hierarchies, Embrace Pluralism, Consider Context, Make Labor Visible) to existing work happening in museum collections.

Results. While museum practitioners are adept at understanding the limitations of their data schemas and organizing structures, further work is required to incorporate emotion and embodiment into museum data, as the current model relies on external researchers and community members for this.

Conclusion. This review underscores the importance of interdisciplinary work and speaks to the intensive data labor happening in LAM collections; it also offers actionable insights for advancing feminist data practices within museum collections.