Unpacking the Collection: Networks of Material and Social Agency in the Museum (One World Archaeology)

Museum collections are often perceived as static entities hidden away in storerooms or trapped behind glass cases. By focusing on the dynamic histories of museum collections, new research reveals their pivotal role in shaping a wide range of social relations. Over time and across space the interactions between these artefacts and the people and institutions who made, traded, collected, researched and exhibited them have generated complex networks of material and social agency. In this innovative volume, the contributors draw on a broad range of source materials to explore the cross-cultural interactions which have created museum collections. These case studies contribute significantly to the development of new theoretical frameworks to examine broader questions of materiality, agency, and identity in the past and present. Grounded in case studies from individual objects and museum collections from North America, Europe, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and Australia, this truly international volume juxtaposes historical, geographical, and cross-cultural studies. This work will be of great interest to archaeologists and anthropologists studying material culture, as well as researchers in museum studies and cultural heritage management. Networks, Agents And Objects : Frameworks For Unpacking Museum Collections / Sarah Byrne [and Others] -- Suitable For Decoration Of Halls And Billiard Rooms : Finding Indigenous Agency In Historic Auction And Sale Catalogues / Robin Torrence And Anne Clarke -- Consuming Colonialism : Curio Dealers' Catalogues, Souvenir Objects And Indigenous Agency In Oceania / Rodney Harrison -- Plumes, Pipes And Valuables : The Papuan Artefact-trade In Southwest New Guinea, 1845-1888 / Susan M. Davies -- Donors, Loaners, Dealers And Swappers : The Relationship Behind The English Collections At The Pitt Rivers Museum / Chris Wingfield -- The Bekom Mask And The White Star : The Fate Of Others' Objects At The Musée Du Quai Branly, Paris / Alexandra Loumpet-galitzine -- Agency, Prestige And Politics : Dutch Collecting Abroad And Local Responses / Pieter Ter Keurs -- Crafting Hopi Identities At The Museum Of Northern Arizona / Kelley Hays-gilpin -- Pathways To Knowledge : Research, Agency And Power Relations In The Context Of Collaborations Between Museums And Source Communities / Lindy Allen And Louise Hamby -- 'objects As Ambassadors' : Representing Nation Through Museum Exhibitions / Chantal Knowles -- Seats Of Power And Iconographies Of Identity In Ecuador / Colin Mcewan And Maria-isabel Silva -- Hedley Takes A Holiday : Collections From Kanak People In The Australian Museum / Jude Philp -- Death, Memory And Collecting : Creating The Conditions For Ancestralisation In South London Households / Fiona Parrott -- Trials And Traces : A.c. Haddon's Agency As Museum Curator / Sarah Byrne. Sarah Byrne [and Others], Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Networks, Agents and Objects: Frameworks for Unpacking Museum Collections....Pages 3-26 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 “Suitable for Decoration of Halls and Billiard Rooms”: Finding Indigenous Agency in Historic Auction and Sale Catalogues....Pages 29-53 Consuming Colonialism: Curio Dealers’ Catalogues, Souvenir Objects and Indigenous Agency in Oceania....Pages 55-82 Plumes, Pipes and Valuables: The Papuan Artefact-Trade in Southwest New Guinea, 1845–1888....Pages 83-115 Front Matter....Pages 117-117 Donors, Loaners, Dealers and Swappers: The Relationship behind the English Collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum....Pages 119-140 The Bekom Mask and the White Star: The Fate of Others’ Objects at the Musée du quai Branly, Paris....Pages 141-163 Agency, Prestige and Politics: Dutch Collecting Abroad and Local Responses....Pages 165-182 Front Matter....Pages 183-183 Crafting Hopi Identities at the Museum of Northern Arizona....Pages 185-208 Pathways to Knowledge: Research, Agency and Power Relations in the Context of Collaborations Between Museums and Source Communities....Pages 209-229 ‘Objects as Ambassadors’: Representing Nation Through Museum Exhibitions....Pages 231-247 Seats of Power and Iconographies of Identity in Ecuador....Pages 249-265 Front Matter....Pages 267-267 Hedley Takes a Holiday: Collections from Kanak People in the Australian Museum....Pages 269-288 Death, Memory and Collecting: Creating the Conditions for Ancestralisation in South London Households....Pages 289-305 Trials and Traces: A. C. Haddon’s Agency as Museum Curator....Pages 307-325 Back Matter....Pages 327-342 Networks, agents and objects : frameworks for unpacking museum collections / Sarah Byrne ... [et al.] "Suitable for decoration of halls and billiard rooms" : finding indigenous agency in historic auction and sale catalogues / Robin Torrence and Anne Clarke Consuming colonialism : curio dealers' catalogues, souvenir objects and indigenous agency in Oceania / Rodney Harrison Plumes, pipes and valuables : the Papuan artefact-trade in southwest New Guinea, 1845-1888 / Susan M. Davies Donors, loaners, dealers and swappers : the relationship behind the English collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum / Chris Wingfield The Bekom mask and the white star : the fate of others' objects at the Musée du quai Branly, Paris / Alexandra Loumpet-Galitzine Agency, prestige and politics : Dutch collecting abroad and local responses / Pieter ter Keurs Crafting Hopi identities at the Museum of Northern Arizona / Kelley Hays-Gilpin Pathways to knowledge : research, agency and power relations in the context of collaborations between museums and source communities / Lindy Allen and Louise Hamby 'Objects as ambassadors' : representing nation through museum exhibitions / Chantal Knowles Seats of power and iconographies of identity in Ecuador / Colin McEwan and Maria-Isabel Silva Hedley takes a holiday : collections from Kanak people in the Australian Museum / Jude Philp Death, memory and collecting : creating the conditions for ancestralisation in South London households / Fiona Parrott Trials and traces : A.C. Haddon's agency as museum curator / Sarah Byrne.