Projects
Colonial legacies and reparative futures
It is recognised that universities and their collections, together with the practice and discipline of geology, are linked to past and present colonialism. This includes the study and mapping of foreign lands with colonial and Eurocentric approaches, the extraction of natural resources overseas and the lack of indigenous views in collection archives and research publications. Closer to home, the School of Earth Sciences is based in the Wills Memorial Building, which was built from wealth made on tobacco plantations where enslaved labour made up the majority of the workforce. The School of Earth Sciences is committed to acknowledging and reflecting on its colonial legacies at all levels and at wide by taking a range of actions:
Migrating Rocks
How to ethically return a rock. Research, best practice, co-creation and interdisciplinarity
Respecting Rocks
Promoting ethical engagement with the past present and future study of geology and collecting of rocks. Best practice and case studies.
Connecting art, humanities, science and communities through collections
Geology and earth sciences collections are more than scientific archives—they are rich cultural and historical resources that invite collaboration across disciplines. By linking the analytical power of geoscience with the interpretive lenses of art and the humanities, we can explore new narratives about Earth’s deep history, climate change, resource use, and our relationship with the planet facilitating the development ethical and innovative solutions for the future.
Earth Gallery
Exhibitions in our Earth Gallery