Research travels to Senegal and France: New Blog Post by Cécile Mendy

We are pleased to share a new blog post by PhD researcher Cécile Mendy, reflecting on two significant experiences that have contributed to her ongoing research on heritage conservation and restitution.

In her latest contribution, Cécile discusses her spring 2026 research stay in Senegal, where she conducted fieldwork and archival research in Dakar, Gorée and Saint-Louis as part of her PhD project on endogenous heritage conservation practices. She also reflects on her participation in the symposium Sovereignty and the Restitution of Cultural Property and the study day Repairing Absence, both of which offered valuable perspectives on heritage, memory and restitution.

The blog post further highlights her participation in the International Student Meetings of the fifteenth Festival of Art History, which brought together doctoral and postdoctoral researchers from Europe and Africa for a programme of lectures, site visits and scholarly exchange in Paris and Fontainebleau.

Drawing on these experiences, Cécile reflects on the role of local knowledge in heritage conservation, the growing international debate on restitution, and the importance of cross-cultural academic collaboration.

Read the full blog post here.