Conference organiser: Stephen Welsh

Manchester Museum is part of the University of Manchester and is internationally renowned for its encyclopaedic collections, innovative exhibitions, and extensive learning and engagement programme. The museum is critical to communicating the results of ground-breaking University of Manchester research. Such research has informed exhibitions including Breed: The British and Their Dogs, Rapa Nui: The Statues from Easter Island and most recently Gifts for the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed. This year it has initiated an exploration of South Asian collections across the museum, the Whitworth, and Manchester Art Gallery, collectively known as the Manchester Partnership,  in preparation for several exciting forthcoming projects. A significant percentage of this material is linked to faith in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora, making the conference topic particularly relevant to this research. The conference provided Manchester Museum with an invaluable opportunity to hear from other colleagues and organisations working in this area. 

See the conference programme.

Speakers included amongst others representatives from the Powell-Cotton Museum, National Museums Scotland, the National Maritime Museum and the British Museum. A variety of diverse papers focusing on Islam, mythology and missionary representations in Museums were presented to conference delegates.