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Author Kuper, Adam, author.

Title The museum of other people : from colonial acquisitions to cosmopolitan exhibitions / Adam Kuper.

Publication Info. New York : Pantheon Books, [2023]

Copies

Location Call No. Status
 Newington, Lucy Robbins Welles Library - New Materials  069 KUPER    Check Shelf
Edition First American edition.
Description xi, 415 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
Note "Originally published in Great Britain in 2023 by Profile Books in London"--t.p. verso.
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 357-404) and index.
Summary "In this deeply researched, immersive history, Adam Kuper tells the story of how foreign and prehistoric peoples and cultures were represented in Western museums of anthropology. Originally created as colonial enterprises, their halls were populated by displays of plundered art, artifacts, dioramas, bones, and relics. Kuper reveals the politics and struggles of trying to build these museums in Germany, France, and England in the mid-19th century, and the dramatic encounters between the very colorful and eccentric collectors, curators, political figures, and high members of the church who founded them. He also details the creation of contemporary museums and exhibitions, including the Smithsonian, the Harvard's Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, and the famous 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago which was inspired by the Paris World Fair of 1889. Despite the widespread popularity and cultural importance of these institutions, there also lies a murky legacy of imperialism, colonialism, and scientific racism in their creation. Kuper tackles difficult questions of repatriation and justice, and how best to ensure that the future of these museums is an ethical, appreciative one that promotes learning and cultural exchange. A stunning, unique, accessible work based on a lifetime of research, The Museum of Other People reckons with the painfully fraught history of museums of natural history, and how curators, anthropologists, and museumgoers alike can move forward alongside these time-honored institutions"-- Provided by publisher.
Subject Ethnological museums and collections -- History.
Ethnological museums and collections -- Moral and ethical aspects.
Museums -- Acquisitions -- Moral and ethical aspects.
Cultural property -- Government policy.
Cultural property -- Moral and ethical aspects.
Cultural property -- Protection.
Cultural property -- Conservation and restoration.
Ethnologie (CaQQLa)201-0054356 -- Musées et collections (CaQQLa)201-0054356 -- Histoire. (CaQQLa)201-0378888
Ethnologie (CaQQLa)201-0054356 -- Musées et collections (CaQQLa)201-0054356 -- Aspect moral. (CaQQLa)201-0374162
Musées (CaQQLa)201-0111450 -- Acquisitions (CaQQLa)201-0111450 -- Aspect moral. (CaQQLa)201-0374162
Other Form: Online version: Kuper, Adam. Museum of other people New York : Pantheon Books, [2024] 9780593700686 (DLC) 2023039862
ISBN 9780593700679 hardcover
0593700678 hardcover
9780593700686 electronic book
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