Mapping a global dialogue on inclusion.
Founded to reimagine museums as inclusive civic spaces, the Network has grown into a worldwide forum for research, policy, and practice.
Founded in 2008 under the leadership of Dr. Amareswar Galla, the Inclusive Museum Research Network began as a global initiative to reimagine museums as equitable civic spaces—where collections, interpretation, and access are co-shaped with communities. From its inception, Galla’s vision linked international policy experience with on-the-ground practice, establishing a scholar-led forum that travels across regions, convenes a rigorous annual conference, and connects research to actionable museum change through peer-reviewed publishing and year-round collaboration.
Across its history, the Conference has been hosted with institutions including the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden; University of Queensland, Brisbane; Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul; University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; University of the West Indies, Barbados; National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen; the Autry Museum, Los Angeles; the National Science Museum, New Delhi; the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati; Manchester Museum, UK; University of Granada, Spain; MUNTREF—Museum of Immigration, Buenos Aires; Museum of Lisbon; Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia; UBC Robson Square, Vancouver; MuseumsQuartier, Vienna; and University of San Jorge, Zaragoza. These partnerships anchor the Network’s global reach and community-embedded ethos.
Plenary programs have featured leaders shaping inclusive museology, including Alissandra Cummins; W. Richard West, Jr.; Hans-Martin Hinz; Sonwabile Mancotywa; Lonnie G. Bunch III; and Elizabeth Silkes—voices spanning international governance, national institutions, and community-based memory work. Their contributions situate inclusion as both ethical imperative and institutional practice.
The International Conference on the Inclusive Museum has a rich history of featuring leading and emerging voices from the field, including:
Director, Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Bridgetown, Barbados
(2008, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Founding Director, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., USA
(2008)
President, The International Council of Museums, Paris, France
(2009, 2010, 2013)
CEO, National Heritage Council of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
(2010)
Founding Director, Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture, Washington, D.C., USA
(2012)
Executive Director, International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, New York, USA
(2013)
The Inclusive Museum Research Network has had the pleasure of working with the following organizations:
