Museums, Community and Identity on the Island of Saba

This thesis is based on primary field work that has been conducted on the Island of Saba in the Lesser Antilles. The physical construction of the first modern exhibition on Saba’s history was carried out on the island in January 2013. This exhibition has been brought into fruition through co-operation between the author and a team from the Archaeology Faculty at Leiden University. The exhibition attempted to raise an awareness of the history of the island and recent archaeological research within the local community and tourists alike. The outcome of the field work has resulted in documentation of the project and the process of putting the exhibition together within this study. Further primary research took an interview-based approach in an attempt to understand the local community’s connection with the exhibition’s content, their interest in the island’s past and if they feel a need for it to be displayed on the island. It forms an initial analysis of the community’s opinion on...Show moreThis thesis is based on primary field work that has been conducted on the Island of Saba in the Lesser Antilles. The physical construction of the first modern exhibition on Saba’s history was carried out on the island in January 2013. This exhibition has been brought into fruition through co-operation between the author and a team from the Archaeology Faculty at Leiden University. The exhibition attempted to raise an awareness of the history of the island and recent archaeological research within the local community and tourists alike. The outcome of the field work has resulted in documentation of the project and the process of putting the exhibition together within this study. Further primary research took an interview-based approach in an attempt to understand the local community’s connection with the exhibition’s content, their interest in the island’s past and if they feel a need for it to be displayed on the island. It forms an initial analysis of the community’s opinion on these issues and an understanding of present community identity and their identification with the island’s history. This author’s research is supported and built upon through secondary sources that explore the concepts of identity and the community within the museum world. The aim of this study is to form an understanding of the past and present museum work on Saba, the need for further museum projects on the island and the community’s interest, involvement and identification with the history and archaeology of their island.Show less

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Museums, Community and Identity on the Island of Saba