Colonialism and the Object: Empire, Material Culture and the Museum

Bhagat, Dipti

doi:10.1093/jdh/12.1.89

Cited by 3 publications

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“…Decolonization is now a primary aim of many museums, 3 and while there is substantial earlier writing that examines colonial collecting (see for example Barringer & Flynn, 1998; Bennett, 2004; Cooper et al., 2015; Gosden & Knowles, 2001; Lidchi, 1997; Longair & McAleer, 2016; Onciul, 2015; ÓSíocháin et al., 2012; Price, 1989; Shelton, 2001; Tolia‐Kelly, 2017), there is as yet limited consensus on what a “colonial object” is. Autoethnography helped me to reflect on how my understanding of the term had altered as a result of this experience; but as a sole‐author exercise could not begin to engage with the diversity of voices that the question demands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The “colonial object” in autoethnography: Examples from Ireland, Hong Kong, and Zambia

Widdis

2024

Curator The Museum Journal

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This article uses autoethnography to explore objects from Zambia, Hong Kong, and Ireland, dated between 1848 and the 1990s. It explores subjective conceptualizations of the “colonial object,” and seeks to disrupt imperialist narratives as well as to decenter the white family from which its examples come. The paper discusses the objects as potential sites for developing transcultural collaboration, and examines their relevance to decolonization in the Anthropocene.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The “colonial object” in autoethnography: Examples from Ireland, Hong Kong, and Zambia

Widdis

2024

Curator The Museum Journal

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“…In the 19th century the British Museum was known to the world as symbolic of an empire, and the representation it offered was immensely instilled with the culture of British imperialism. Barringer and Flynn (1998) concluded in their book Colonialism and the Object: Empire, Material Culture and the Museum , the British Museum was an “imperial archive” and the most spectacular repository of the material culture of empire (p. 27). Barringer and Flynn also noted that the meaning of an object is inflected and even re‐invented by the context in which it is displayed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Looted artifacts and museums' perpetuation of imperialism and racism: Implications for the importance of preserving cultural heritage

Palmer

2023

American J of Comm Psychol

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In the midst of recent protests and antiracism movements following the death of George Floyd in May of 2020 and other Black, Indigenous, and people of Color (BIPOC) murdered in the United States by police violence, protestors and advocates around the world recognized the need for Western governments and other institutions to reckon with their own imperial history—to acknowledge the linkage between the slave trade, colonialism, and racism in their countries. This recognition led to the tearing down of statues depicting racist colonial leaders and calling for museums who have perpetuated imperialism and racism through their acceptance and display of looted artifacts to return them. This article sought to answer the question posed in the call for papers, can the many manifestations of racism be effectively dealt with in our society if the status quo is unwilling to engage with the issues, address them, and relinquish power. Further the author argues that cultural looting has its roots in colonialism and racism and discusses implications of the linkage between one's stolen cultural heritage and individual and community well‐being. Answers to the question include both yes, manifestations of racism can be addressed, and no, they cannot be addressed when institutions and governments refuse to engage, address the issue and do not relinquish power. The article also includes the author's thoughts on using a living heritage approach to preserve cultural heritage and offers suggestions that community psychologists, advocates and activists can help to decolonize museums as part of the broader social and racial justice movement.

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“…У сучасній світовій музеології й антропології відбуваються інтенсивні процеси переосмислення підходів до представлення інших культур в музейних експозиціях в контексті теорії постколоніалізму. Нові дослідження в наукових сферах музеології, культурології, антропології, етнології, етнографії, історії мистецтва, дизайну порушили низку історичних та інтерпретаційних питань, що мають вирішальне значення для функціонування етнографічних музеїв у постколоніальну добу (Aronsson, Elgenius, 2014;Barringer, Flynn, 2012;Groten, 2022).…”

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Transformation of European Ethnographic Museums in the Context of Theoretical Discussions and Practices of Postcolonialism

Verbytska

2024

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The article aims to substantiate the potential of postcolonialism's theoretical approaches in rethinking an ethnographic museum's mission in a globalized, multicultural society. The methodological basis of the study based on the tools of contemporary postcolonial and memory studies, museology and anthropology. Scientific novelty. The importance of theoretical approaches to postcolonialism in rethinking the mission of an ethnographic museum in a globalized, multicultural society is substantiated. In the example of the Museum of Civilisations of Europe and the Mediterranean in Marseille, innovative curatorial approaches are identified to decolonize the ethnographic collection and integrate the heritage of different peoples of the former colonial empire. Conclusions. The article analyses the emergence and functioning of ethnographic museums in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century as the embodiment of imperial projects. The evolution of ethnographic museums is closely connected with the development of anthropology as a scientific discipline. Ethnographic objects were seen as evidence of humanity's civilizational evolution and established differences between Europeans and "others." The challenges and peculiarities of the new paradigm of ethnographic museology in the modern world are characterized. The article presents curatorial approaches in the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Civilisations of Europe and the Mediterranean in Marseille as an example of transforming an ethnographic museum into a museum of society.

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Colonialism and the Object: Empire, Material Culture and the Museum

Cited by 3 publications

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The “colonial object” in autoethnography: Examples from Ireland, Hong Kong, and Zambia

The “colonial object” in autoethnography: Examples from Ireland, Hong Kong, and Zambia

Looted artifacts and museums' perpetuation of imperialism and racism: Implications for the importance of preserving cultural heritage

Transformation of European Ethnographic Museums in the Context of Theoretical Discussions and Practices of Postcolonialism

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