{"id":2411,"date":"2025-09-02T19:54:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T18:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/chstm\/?p=2411"},"modified":"2025-09-08T10:29:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T09:29:11","slug":"discussion-event-extinction-in-the-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/chstm\/2025\/09\/02\/discussion-event-extinction-in-the-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Discussion Event: Extinction in the Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

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18 September 2025m 18:00-19:30
Manchester Museum<\/a> [click on the link for a map]<\/p>\n

Free to attend, and suitable for all aged 16+. Please book your place using the link below.<\/p>\n

Scientists estimate that up to one million animal and plant species are currently at risk of extinction if we do not urgently change our attitude toward, and treatment of, the natural world. Amidst warnings of a \u2018sixth mass extinction\u2019, species loss has increasingly become a key topic for museums. Extinct and endangered species now occupy pride of place in many natural history galleries, while dedicated exhibitions seek to raise awareness of extinction and its consequences, proposing measures that \u2018individuals, families and communities can take to make a difference\u2019. Some museums even have their own conservation programmes, involving captive breeding and the reintroduction of endangered species to their native habitats.<\/p>\n

These various efforts illustrate how extinction has become a major cultural issue as well as a pressing scientific concern. Museums today have an important role to play in encouraging visitors to think about the different factors that drive extinction, and are in<\/p>\n

many cases the only sites where we can encounter the remains of extinct species such as the dodo or the Great Auk. But focussing on extinction and endangerment also presents museums with difficult questions. Should they continue to prioritise the display of well-known animals and birds, for instance, or shift their focus to raise awareness of \u2018lowly\u2019 but no less important species? Are taxidermied specimens still the best way for museums to engage with visitors, or should they now favour other approaches? What can exhibitions do to guard against pessimism or fatalism while trying to generate concern and change people\u2019s attitudes? And how should museums acknowledge the role that their own collection practices played in hastening the extinction of certain species in the past?<\/p>\n

Please join us for a public discussion that centres on these and other pressing questions. The discussion will be led by Sadiah Qureshi<\/strong>, a leading historian of extinction and author of Vanished, and Rachel Webster<\/strong>, curator of botany at Manchester Museum. We will be joined by notable museum objects, and audience members will all have a chance to ask questions.<\/p>\n

The event is free and includes a drinks reception, but please note that places are limited and registration is required<\/strong>. You can reserve a place by completing the form at https:\/\/forms.office.com\/e\/2jVHyV1d3E<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The event has been made possible thanks to the University of Manchester\u2019s Hallsworth Conference Fund.<\/p>\n

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Related<\/h1>\n

Related posts:<\/h3>
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CHSTM Research Seminar, 17 March 2026<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
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Planetary Futures: Rethinking Extinction and Conservation in the Anthropocene<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a>
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CHSTM Research Seminar: 8 October 2024<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

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