Development of European Museum Institutions in Affecting the Existence of Museums in Malaysia

Abstract

Museums play an important role in preserving and conserving all artifacts related to the past history as well as the heritage and culture of a society's civilization. Malaysia as a country that consists of various races and rich in various heritages and cultures, the museum institution plays an important role in preserving the heritage of knowledge for future generations. Museum institutions have undergone changes over time in producing an excellent management in preserving knowledge of past history. The development of museums at the European level is seen to have influenced the entry of the ideology of the field of museums in Malaysia. This study uses a qualitative method by analyzing the research data on the history of the development of museums in the world until it was brought in by the British colonial to Malaysia before independence. The focus of the study focuses on how and what is the influence brought by the west in museum institutions in Malaysia. The results show that, the Renaissance philosophy practiced by Europeans around the 14th century, has urged them to sail out to the ocean and explore other regions. This indirectly led to colonization of non-European territories. In the British colonial context, their arrival to colonize Malaya was not empty handed, but brought in colonial knowledge which later became the basis for the establishment of museum institutions in Malaysia. However, the interpretation of artifacts, history, heritage and culture that is euro-centric, led to the implementation of the decolonization of museums after independence. This is so that a local history can be interpreted correctly through the point of view and knowledge of the local community.