Sites of Conscience

About the Coalition

What is the International Coalition of Historic Site Museums of Conscience?
What is a Site of Conscience?
What does the Coalition do?
How is the Coalition supported?

What is the International Coalition of Historic Site Museums of Conscience?

The International Coalition of Historic Site Museums of Conscience is a worldwide network of “Sites of Conscience” – historic sites specifically dedicated to remembering past struggles for justice and addressing their contemporary legacies.

In 1999, the District Six Museum (South Africa); Gulag Museum (Russia); Liberation War Museum (Bangladesh); Lower East Side Tenement Museum (USA); Maison Des Esclaves (Senegal); National Park Service (USA); Memoria Abierta (Argentina); Terezin Memorial (Czech Republic); and the Workhouse (United Kingdom) founded the Coalition with the following statement:
“…it is the obligation of historic sites to assist the public in drawing connections between the history of our sites and their contemporary implications.  We view stimulating dialogue on pressing social issues and promoting humanitarian and democratic values as a primary function.” 

Read “The Power of Place: How Historic Sites Can Engage Citizens in Human Rights Issues,” an article about the founding and development of the Coalition, available for download (PDF):

• English
• Español
• Русский

The Coalition is currently made up of 17 Accredited Sites of Conscience and more than 100 Individual and Institutional Members from around the world. How to Join.

What is a Site of Conscience?

Sites of Conscience:

• interpret history through historic sites;
• engage in programs that stimulate dialogue on pressing social issues;
• promote humanitarian and democratic values as a primary function; and
• share opportunities for public involvement in issues raised at the site.

Click here for a full description of Sites of Conscience criteria.

Sites of Conscience programs:

• draw explicit connections between past and present;
• foster dialogue among diverse stakeholders; and
• open avenues for citizen participation in other human rights or transitional justice efforts.

Sites of Conscience may tell stories of mass atrocity or daily, individual struggles. They may preserve cultural or environmental resources. Each in their own way, Sites of Conscience seek to serve as significant new tools for building lasting cultures of human rights and democracy.
By initiating new conversations about contemporary issues through a historical lens, places of memory can become new centers for democracy in action. But the power of historic sites is not inherent; it must be harnessed as a self-conscious tactic in the service of human rights and civic engagement. Sites of Conscience play this critical role.

What does the Coalition do?

The Coalition provides member sites with direct funding for civic engagement programs; organizes learning exchanges ranging from one-on-one collaborations to international conferences; and conducts strategic advocacy for sites and the Sites of Conscience movement.

Support for Program Innovation
The Coalition provides financial and technical assistance to Sites of Conscience for programs that foster public dialogue on contemporary social issues. Click here for selected program descriptions.

Regional Networks
Members build local networks of Sites of Conscience that collaborate to address common contemporary issues. Our current Regional Networks are:

• Asian Sites of Conscience: Promoting Cultures of Peace and Pluralism in the Wake of Ethnic and Religious Conflict
• African Sites of Conscience: Using Histories of Citizen Action to Develop Post-Colonial and Post-Conflict Democracies
• Russian Sites of Conscience: Building an Anti-Totalitarian Culture
• South American Sites of Conscience: Promoting Debate through the Construction of Memory of the Recent Past

Learning Exchanges
Historic sites, human rights organizations, scholars, students and others develop strategies for Sites of Conscience and explore the theoretical implications of this work. Learning exchanges range from one-on-one collaboration to large international conferences. Click here for information on past and upcoming activities.

Tools and Resources
Program designs, dialogue techniques, planning documents, consultants, and other resources for building and strengthening Sites of Conscience are available on our Resources page.

Professional Development and Consulting
The Coalition offers professional development and training programs for museum professionals, individually tailored to each institution’s needs. Programs address issues such as fostering effective dialogue on sensitive issues; building strong and productive community collaborations; designing exhibits that help visitors draw their own connections between past and present; evaluating civic engagement; and others.

How is the Coalition supported?

Our Individual and Institutional Members provide critical support to the Coalition, allowing us to provide services and resources for sites around the world. Join today!

Our Funders
We gratefully acknowledge the generous support we have received from the following donors:
Ford Foundation
Henry M. Jackson Foundation
Institute for Museum and Library Services
Nathan Cummings Foundation
National Endowment for Democracy
Oak Foundation
Open Society Institute
Rockefeller Foundation
Samuel Rubin Foundation
Trust for Mutual Understanding

To make a contribution to the Coalition, contact Vivien Watts, Senior Director of Organizational Development, at vwatts@tenement.org. All gifts to the Coalition are fully tax-deductible in the United States of America.