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Museums today play an important role as a space for learning about science and the world. For this article, the phenomenon of human evolution is explored as an example of knowledge production about change. Empirical materials on exhibitions of human evolution were collected from visits to 25 historical and natural history museums. The empirical materials are analyzed together with a posthuman version of evolutionary theory, with a focus on aspects of change. This is based on a post-anthropocentric and relational approach to human evolution and change. The analysis shows that (i) museums face an anthropocentric tension, (ii) evolutionary change is seen as both an inherent quality of the individual species and as an entanglement of humans and the natural environment, (iii) the notion of ‘the first human’ produces various and contentious versions of knowledges about evolutionary change.

In this special issue of Reconceptualizing Educational Research Methodology the focus is on posthuman conceptions of change in empirical educational research. In the six included papers, the authors address and challenge different aspects of change in different educational settings – ranging from preschools, to universities and public pedagogies. Through activating posthuman perspectives, the papers invite the reader to a wide range of understandings of the concept of change. A conclusion drawn from the papers is that when working with posthuman change in empirical educational research, change becomes highlighted as a methodological endeavour while simultaneously being engaged with as processes of transformations in the educational practice. What is specifically emphasized is that through posthuman conceptions, change is not something out there to be found, but an emergent phenomenon that unfolds as we explore it.