Museum-Making in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia : Cultural Institutions and Policies From Colonial to Post-Colonial Times

"Building on archival work undertaken in France and fieldwork undertaken in Southeast Asia, Museum-Making in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia provides a critical analysis of museum histories and development in three former colonial territories. This work documents the development of museums in French Indochina (1862-1954), specifically Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The book explores the colonial culture of exhibition, traces the growth of museum collections through archaeological missions to Indochina and other parts of Asia, and examines the role of museums in the cultural life of this colonial society. In particular, the author re-contextualizes the role and part played by colonial museums in the implementation of heritage policies during the colonial era in French Indochina, a dimension that is often overlooked. Additionally, the book addresses the effects that the Second World War, the Vichy Regime, and the Japanese occupation had on these cultural institutions. The transformation of these museums in post-independence Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia is also discussed. Providing comparisons with other colonial and post-colonial experiences, Museum-Making in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia will be a valuable resource for researchers in museum and heritage studies. It will also appeal to researchers and graduate students engaged in the study of history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and development and international studies"-- Provided by publisher Building on archival work undertaken in France and fieldwork undertaken in Southeast Asia, Museum-Making in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia provides a critical analysis of museum histories and development in three former colonial territories. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 List of illustrations 11 Figures 11 Tables 11 Preface 12 Chapter 1: Introduction 14 1.1 Museums, heritage, and colonialism 16 1.2 Museum-making 19 1.3 Museum-making and French Indochina 22 Note 24 References 24 Chapter 2: French Indochina as a colonial project 28 2.1 An incremental project 28 2.2 The conquest of the territory 30 2.2.1 Missionaries 31 2.2.2 A military conquest 33 2.2.3 Early exploration missions 37 2.3 Governance and the political architecture of French Indochina 41 2.4 Intellectuals, societies, colonial imaginaries, and anti-colonialism 44 2.5 Conclusion: Re-framing French Indochina 47 Notes 48 References 50 Chapter 3: Museum-making in French Indochina 54 3.1 Museum-making 54 3.2 Museums and museum culture 55 3.2.1 Not a foreign idea: museum cultures in Asia 56 3.2.2 Collections in pre-colonial times 57 3.2.3 Early colonial museum-making in Cochinchina 58 3.3 The Hanoi Exhibition and the Maurice Long Museum 62 3.4 The EFEO and museum-making 66 3.4.1 Circulation of collections and the development of a museum: Musée Louis Finot and Musée de l’Homme de Hanoi 69 3.4.2 Saigon and the Musée Blanchard de la Brosse 73 3.4.3 Da Nang and Huê 76 3.4.4 Museum-making in Cambodia and Laos 78 3.5 Conclusion 79 Notes 81 References 82 Chapter 4: Heritage preservation and museum administration in a colonial society 85 4.1 Heritage policy in French Indochina 85 4.2 Museum administration and the complexity of cultural governance 88 4.3 Illicit trades, vandalism, controversies, and heritage preservation 95 4.4 The construction of heritage norms 101 4.5 Conclusion 102 Notes 102 References 103 Chapter 5: Collection development and collection management 105 5.1 Collection development 106 5.2 Collaborations and circulation of cultural items 111 5.3 Collection management 115 5.3.1 Archaeology, local collections, and open-ended conversations 116 5.3.2 ‘World Museums’ 117 5.4 Conclusion: universalism and ‘ Workshop for Living Arts’ 120 Notes 121 References 122 Chapter 6: Museums and their publics 124 6.1 Scientists, merchants, industrialists, and public servants of the colony (1900–1920) 126 6.2 Ethnicity, aesthetic values, and art amateurs (1920–1930) 129 6.3 Art, cultural tourism, and growing audiences (1930–1940) 133 6.4 Wars, diplomacy, and management (1940–1960) 135 6.5 Conclusion 139 Notes 140 References 141 Chapter 7: Museums in post-colonial times 144 7.1 From French Indochina to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia 144 7.2 Decolonizing museums 147 7.3 New museum-making, new museums 152 7.3.1 Vietnam: war, revolution, and the nation, 1955–1990 152 7.3.2 Doi Moi and museums in Vietnam (1990–2020) 155 7.3.3 Laos 157 7.3.4 Cambodia 159 7.4 Development and cooperation 162 7.5 Conclusion: museums at a crossroads 165 Notes 166 References 167 Index 172 collection,development;,collection,management;,French,colonialism;,French,Indochina;,heritage,policies;,heritage,preservation;,museum,administration;,museum,culture;,museum,development;,museum-making;,political,system;,post-colonial,times;,public,servants collection development,collection management,French colonialism,French Indochina,heritage policies,heritage preservation,museum administration,museum culture,museum development,museum-making,political system,post-colonial times,public servants