Overview

• Cambridge University's Polar Museum now describes early Antarctic expeditions as conducted in the 'colonial mould,' highlighting land claims, mapping, and resource prospecting.
• The museum's new signage acknowledges Antarctica's lack of an indigenous population but argues the expeditions still followed colonial practices.
• This reframing is part of the university's broader 'Power and Memory' initiative, which examines its historical ties to empire, slavery, and colonialism.
• The Fitzwilliam Museum's 'Rise Up' exhibit, also under the initiative, controversially links Stephen Hawking's research funding to slavery-derived endowments.
• The updated Polar Museum exhibit has drawn public and media scrutiny, with Cambridge University yet to formally address the criticisms.