Over the past decade, sociopolitical movements like Black Lives Matter have gained international recognition, bringing systemic racism fostered through colonialism and imperialism to the forefront....Show moreOver the past decade, sociopolitical movements like Black Lives Matter have gained international recognition, bringing systemic racism fostered through colonialism and imperialism to the forefront. These discussions have prompted national discourse in many Western countries, leading to a critical reevaluation of historical narratives and the representation of colonial legacies in various cultural institutions, including museums. Although the decolonization process within museums is still in its early stages, countries such as Portugal and Spain have been criticized for being particularly uncooperative. This thesis scrutinized the current state of several museums in Portugal, including the Navy Museum and the Museum of the Orient in Lisbon, the World of Discoveries digital exhibit in Porto, and the Slave Market Museum in Lagos. These institutions represent the maritime heritage of the Age of Exploration, an integral aspect of Portugal’s collective memory and national identity. The analysis was informed by a literature review of the formation of the Portuguese overseas empire, postcolonial theory, and decolonization practices within museology. Additionally, museum visits provided significant first-hand observations, and extensive engagement with museum archival data through their respective websites offered further insights. The findings revealed that the predominant narrative of these museums centered around the glorification of the Portuguese maritime legacy, portraying it more as an adventure and less as a history of exploitation and oppression. Furthermore, this study compared Portuguese museums to those in other European nations with colonial empires, highlighting differences in how colonial histories are presented. This comparison underscores the need for a more nuanced and inclusive representation of maritime heritage in Portugal, contributing to a broader understanding of the impact of decolonial perspectives and practices on contemporary society.Show less
Classical past and its material evocations continue to play a vital role in both Greek national imagination and the collective subconscious of Greek society. At the same time, racial discrimination...Show moreClassical past and its material evocations continue to play a vital role in both Greek national imagination and the collective subconscious of Greek society. At the same time, racial discrimination and xenophobic feelings are on the rise due to recent increase in migration and refugee flows mainly from Asia and Africa. Still, the colonial undercurrents concerning the connection of Greece with classical antiquity and its more recent Ottoman past are in a considerable degree unrecognized. The analytical tools available in postcolonial archaeology and its broader theoretical framework offer a more nuanced comprehension of colonialism and its complex nature and effects. Drawing therefore upon postcolonial studies, this thesis examines the development of archaeology in Ottoman Greece in conjunction with colonialist and nationalist discourses and practices, and critiques the colonial reverberations evident in present archaeological research.Show less
The issue of restitution is one that is witnessed throughout the world, at various levels. This thesis explores the type of restitution seen within Romania, and examines the procedures utilised by...Show moreThe issue of restitution is one that is witnessed throughout the world, at various levels. This thesis explores the type of restitution seen within Romania, and examines the procedures utilised by two museums in the return of cultural objects. The focus is placed in the procedures of the Brukenthal National Museum and the Medias Municipal Museum, in Sibiu County. The interesting aspect of these restitutions is that, unlike in many Western museums, restitution cases in Romania are often internal, and carried out between state museums and private individuals. The impact of the Communist regime, and their forceful nationalisation of privately owned cultural objects create a deeper understanding of why current restitution cases occur within the nation. This included their direct and indirect effect on current restitution claims at the two museums. The research was carried out using semi-structured interviews with curators at the museums, along with one former curator at the Medias Municipal Museum, and an interview with the claimant of the Gheorghe Cernea case. These were further supported by written surveys completed by four additional museums: Bran Castle, the National Museum of Transylvanian History, the National Museum of Romanian History, and the Moldovan National Museum Complex. Questions asked included their procedures related to unprovenanced objects, their procedures related to restitution cases, and their personal opinions on the ethics of the return of objects. The findings demonstrate three main points: acquisition procedures from the communist period, and unknown provenance of objects complicate current restitution claims; the Romanian government involved itself in museum exhibitions in an attempt to control the cultural identity made public, and thus by extension influenced the types of objects entered in the collection; and the restitution procedures of the participating museums are judicial in nature. Thus the Communist regime influenced current restitution claims in two ways: indirectly, and directly. The creation of law no. 182/2000 in response to these crimes committed by the government, to aid in the restitution of cultural objects further demonstrates the indirect influence of the former regime. An imbalance remains, favouring the return of immovable cultural heritage, in both laws and organisations helping individuals file claims. Whilst the research is limited in this thesis, it is hoped that it stimulates future studies on the subject, to bring the issue to a greater audience and reduce the taboo around cultural object restitution that remains in Romanian heritage institutions.Show less
Museums during the course of their long history have undergone many changes that have resulted in their reorganization. Social and political changes of the past years have contributed in specific...Show moreMuseums during the course of their long history have undergone many changes that have resulted in their reorganization. Social and political changes of the past years have contributed in specific museums’ decision to change their name and become Museums of World Cultures. This thesis investigated the reasons that led museums to that decision, their hopes and objectives, but also the actual changes that accompany this change of name especially regarding their exhibition practices. The main objective of the thesis was to explore why and how western museums may decide to change their name and to what extent this change influences their way of exhibiting culture of non-western cultures. In this research three museums were chosen as case studies: the National Museum of World Cultures in Gothenburg, the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden and the Museu de Cultures del Món in Barcelona. All three museums emerged from former ethnological museums during the past years. The results of the thesis show that this change in museums’ name was a result of different situations but was mostly connected with their attempt to acquire a more contemporary character that is closer to the needs of 21st century society and to engage with the public. However, the change of name is not always accompanied by a change in museum policy. In reality, as shown by this research the exhibition policy of these three museums did not actually change after the change of name, even though there have been attempts to change the way they approach their role.Show less
This thesis studies theatrical elements in museums, particularly exploring the way performances and performative techniques are incorporated in three museum types: anthropological, archaeological...Show moreThis thesis studies theatrical elements in museums, particularly exploring the way performances and performative techniques are incorporated in three museum types: anthropological, archaeological and contemporary art. It aims to disclose the role and function of performative means within them and examine whether and in what ways performative means could foster museum’s social relevance. Could they for instance, assist each of these museum types in meeting the particular demands that arise regarding its current social mission? Subsequently, the differences and similarities between the performances and the perfomative methods used in anthropological, archaeological and contemporary art museums are pointed out and the inter-influences among them are explored. Several publications are reviewed in order to delineate museum’s social role over the years emphasizing its educational mission. Also, a theoretical framework concerning performance’s relationship with society is given and the integration of museum and theatre is outlined focusing on the emergence of museum theatre. An exploration of the official websites, the brochures and public programmes of various museums worldwide provides information about the performative means used and the purposes they tend to serve. In the case of the performative spaces in anthropology museums the emphasis is put on Nuno Porto’s concept of ‘ethnographic installation’. The particular demands regarding the role and mission of each of the three museum types in present-day society are explored in reference to the relevant literature. Moreover, three cases-studies are examined in the context of this thesis: the Mix- Max Brazil exhibition in Tropenmuseum Junior in Amsterdam -where I did my internship-, the staging of the theatrical play ‘Hyllos’ in National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden (RMO) by the group ‘Veenfabriek, and Aernout Mik’s retrospective, ‘Communitas, in Stedelijk in Amsterdam, where I participated as a performer. The special case of Tropenmuseum Junior is explored as an anthropological museum integrating museum and theatre in its programmes and space. Its philosophy and guiding principles are outlined and the way such a concept is organized and set up is explored revealing performative means’ potentials within museums. Additionally, the educational efficacy of its method is examined. In ‘Hyllos’ case particular emphasis is put on the creative way the performance brings antiquity closer to the present using the story of an ancient mythical figure to provocatively comment on the state of democracy today. In ‘Communitas’ the dynamic socio-political aspect of the work is stressed as well as the innovative way Mik has physically and intellectually engaged his viewers. For the purposes of this study the author has pursued the qualitative research of the semi-structured interviews. Several museum and theatre professionals of various ranks and tasks have been interviewed. The outcome of the study indicates that performative means in both anthropological and archaeological museums have, apart from an entertaining, a strong educational-interpretive function. Although contemporary art museums are also interested in their educational mission, they nevertheless present a big number of performative works –such as performance art pieces- which constitute exhibits by themselves. Performative means indeed seem to foster museums’ social relevance having the capability to help them fulfil their role and mission in contemporary world. Moreover, due to the antiquity of their exhibits archaeological museums seem to confront special difficulties in tracing a connection with the present-day visitor. Therefore, performative means can be particularly useful in the context of archaeology museums as a powerful tool able to enliven their long ago lost worlds.Show less
This study examines the Egyptian collection of antiquities in the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden after the addition of Anastasi's collection and creates a comparison with the Egyptian...Show moreThis study examines the Egyptian collection of antiquities in the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden after the addition of Anastasi's collection and creates a comparison with the Egyptian collection of antiquities in the British Museum, London, after Salt's collection was incorporated. The aim of this research is to see if a large addition to a pre-existing collection affects the original plans for the overall collection. A theoretical framework has been constructed focussing on the already existing literature around these two collectors and the respective museums. This is supported by an internship at the National Museum of Antiquities to look in further detail at the artefact catalogue and carry out further research around the subject. The expected result is that the original plans for the two collections will have been changed quite rapidly when incorporated into the respective museums. This is due to the size and object type within the new collections and their impact on the other objects within the already existing museum collection. This research aims to explore the details of these developments, and whether any similarities can be identified between the two circumstances.Show less
This study investigates the task of combining education and pedagogy in twenty first century museums. The aim of this research was to see if the educational role of the 21st century museum is...Show moreThis study investigates the task of combining education and pedagogy in twenty first century museums. The aim of this research was to see if the educational role of the 21st century museum is pedagogical. Several publications have been reviewed in order to investigate the principles of both the old and new museology, to explore the history of museum education and its coexistence with pedagogy and to know in what base museums are working now. The chronological framework that has been outlined is the twenty first century in which ‘Critical Pedagogy’ movement appears renewed and slightly different from its first appearance in twenty century by Paul Freire and Ira Shor. Could museums manage their educational mission through various pedagogic methods and could be seen also as sites of ‘Critical Pedagogy’? Some sub-questions are formed in order to make clearer the steps of the research. In those are explored the following: a) if museums use specific pedagogic methods and exploit the twenty first century’s technologies, b) what museum educators do and how they learn to teach, c) what steps are followed by a museum educator in order to design a program and d) what pedagogical path are followed by archaeological museums, what are their reflections to our century challenges and what are their practices. For the last question were used the case study of the Archaeological Museum of Delphi, in Greece in which the author had her internship and two more of museums in the Netherlands as comparison. The qualitative survey was the methodology that was applied during the research. Specifically, have been applied qualitative questionnaires to visitors of Delphi Museum and semi-structured interviews to highly ranked employees such as museum curators, head of collections, museum educators, etc. of different museums both in Greece and the museums in Netherlands. The questionnaire results are analyzed using descriptive statistics such as average, percentages, mode and median to assess whether museums serve both purposes. The interviews are transcribed and the answers are grouped according to their topic. The results of both questionnaires and interviews are discussed. Finally, the outcome of this study is quite positive and very promising for the future. Museums in twenty first century try hard to be seen as sites of ‘Critical Pedagogy’ and to educate their visitors in a pedagogic way. Archaeological museums try to confront contemporary challenges and use pedagogy in order to commune their holy ancient secrets and precepts to the people.Show less
