I use the term "institutional genealogy” to refer to the process of assessing an organization’s origins, ancestors, and older forms to understand institutional legacies of inequity and exclusion and how to engage with them today.
I developed the Institutional Genealogy Framework to support this process by offering a method with 5 different steps to engage with your organization’s past. Download a PDF version of the process map of the steps in the Framework here.
“As we began delving deeply into our institutional history, making sense of the decades of narratives, and seeking out the stories that were hidden in informational gaps, Aletheia’s direction, dedication, and hard work helped us to not only keep our heads above water, but identify our goals and take concrete steps to meet them. Working with Aletheia has been spectacular: from the first step to the last, her expertise, responsiveness, and clarity of purpose have been a guiding light in this process.”
Are you seeking practical tools for examining your organization’s history? The Institutional Genealogy Framework Subscription Program offers access to 6 online learning modules and 1 hour per month of virtual coaching sessions with me. Contact me to sign up! Visit the Framework subscriber portal here.
The Institutional Genealogy Reader is an in-process compilation of articles and media offering a range of perspectives on why understanding institutional legacies, and cultivating institutional memory practices, are critical to the future of museums and the cultural heritage sector. Access the Reader here.
GRATITUDE & RECOGNITION
The Institutional Genealogy Framework is heavily indebted to The Washington State Historical Society, the Association of King County Heritage Organizations, the MASS Action Anti-Racist Community of Practice Learning Series, as well as the 4Culture Heritage Department, and in particular the thought-partnership of Chieko Phillips. Early programming and engagement collaborations with organizations offered forums to engage practitioners in dialogue about the central ideas of the Framework as well as the tools, strategies, and activities I designed to support the process of examining and addressing our cultural institution’s pasts. Feedback from these early sessions, from collaborators and participants, shaped and continues to shape the approach that the Framework offers.
As a facilitator, I developed the Institutional Genealogy Framework to support organization’s that want to assess and engage with their past as a means to develop new understanding that moves them to action. The Framework is my contribution to a continuum of related efforts across the cultural heritage sector. I continue to learn from forebears and peers leading the ongoing conversation about our collective responsibility to respond to the institutional histories and legacies of museums as well as those of other institutions serving the public. Related work, case studies, and influential sources can be found on the Institutional Genealogy Reader page, which I will continue to update as a free resource.