Sharing Authority in the Museum by Michelle Horwood

Author:Michelle Horwood [Horwood, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Archaeology
ISBN: 9781351251112
Google: J7V2DwAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 42043644
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

3 Emergent themes from the disassembly-reassembly of a heritage network

Under-representation of an indigenous voice “in both scholarly and public discourse on museums and in the professional museum and anthropological community” (Kreps, 2011, p. 81) is one factor that can limit indigenous opportunities to engage with the museum-based custodians of their heritage and to establish ongoing relationships with them. Lack of affiliation with an academic or other cultural institution that can facilitate contact and communication, and disadvantages in terms of human, fiscal, technological and educational resources are also influential factors. Moreover, changes in museum practice are most advanced in countries where indigenous communities “live among settler-founded, modern nation-states” (Peers & Brown, 2003, p. 14) in relation to indigenous collections and authority over them. In this chapter I argue that these changes potentially provide models for adaptation elsewhere.

Through a case study grounded in a specific context, this investigation set out to explore the ways in which a Māori community in New Zealand could build a relationship with a university museum in England when they are separated by distance and, using an assemblage approach, identify ways to reconnect the community with items of their ancestral heritage that they had been separated from for more than a century. Examining the different cultural perspectives of the museum and the community over time furthers our understanding of the meaning of the heritage items to both groups today and how this might enable change in the relationships between them.

Three broad themes emerged from the analyses of assemblage components in the previous chapters that contribute to understanding how this might be possible. These emergent themes or entities include specific temporalities and places, manifestations of power (reflecting both priorities and resources), and differences in value systems which, together with a rethinking of historical collections and their development, enable their reassembly into new networks centred on enhanced relationships encompassing knowledge, respect and opportunities.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.