Decolonizing Museum Data: Empowering Tibetan Perspectives at World Museum, Liverpool

This research critically analyzes the relationship between decolonization and digital sovereignty, with a focus on Tibetan collections at the World Museum, Liverpool. It examines the systematic construction of Tibet, Tibetan identity, and culture within museum data, highlighting how processes such as organizing,

classifying, and storing new knowledge have legitimized various colonial practices (Smith, L.T., 2021:60). By challenging the prioritization of certain types of knowledge and narratives, the research aims to address the neglect and disregard of the voices of the source community. Recognizing that decolonization necessitates fundamental shifts at the museum's core

knowledge-production level, the research draws on insights from decolonial theories, critical museology, and digital humanities. As emphasized by Mignolo and Walsh (2018: 2), this entails the undoing of Eurocentrism's totalizing claim and frame. It emphasizes the importance of decoding museum data with

caution to avoid perpetuating colonial and neo-colonial practices, including eurocentric categorization, labeling, colonial narratives, and cultural appropriation (Roberts and Montoya, 2022:1). Moreover, the research affirms the Tibetan way of understanding through lived experiences and emotional connections with the objects in the collection of the Liverpool Museum, going beyond descriptive labels

and typical museum documentation. Consequently, the thesis proposes more inclusive and reflexive methods of representation and interpretation rooted in the knowledge, memories, and values of the source community (Peers and Brown, 2003: 2). In line with this approach, the research draws inspiration from Mukurtu CMS, a collaborative,

open-source content management system and community archive developed through partnerships with Indigenous communities. It utilizes Mukurtu CMS as a framework to critically examine MIMSY XG, the current collection management system utilized by the Liverpool Museum for data logging. The focus is on evaluating its inclusivity and identifying limitations, while proposing a collaborative and co-curational

approach to enhance the management and representation of collections.