Museums: A Visual Anthropology

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Description

Museums: A Visual Anthropology provides a clear and concise summary of the key ideas, debates and texts of the most important approaches to the study of museums from around the world. The book examines ways to address the social relations of museums, embedded in their sites, collections, and exhibitions, as an integral part of the visual and material culture they comprise. Cross-disciplinary in scope, Museums uses ideas and approaches both from within and outside of anthropology to further students' knowledge of and interest in museums. Including selected, globally based case studies to highlight and exemplify important issues, the book also contains suggested Further Reading for each chapter, for students to expand their learning independently. Exploring fundamental methods and approaches to engage this constantly evolving time machine, Museums will be essential reading for students of anthropology and museum studies.

Reviews

Museums: A Visual Anthropology is a strong contribution to anthropological literature on museums, visual and material culture, methodologies, and fieldwork ... All in all, this book does a fantastic job of navigating the sometimes nebulous world of museums, their inner workings, and the way these processes and practices shape public experience. -- Adam Solomonian, University of British Columbia, UK * Museum Anthropology *
Mary Bouquets clear and comprehensive Museums: A Visual Anthropology moves the reader carefully through an array of issues at the intersection of museum studies, material culture studies, and anthropology ... Bouquets clear writing provides a valuable guide and sophisticated introduction through important issues in museums, thoughtfully integrating historical trajectories with contemporary questions ... A thorough and thought-provoking volume, Museums: A Visual Anthropology presents a solid foundation for understanding the museum as a site of knowledge-production in and across cultures -- Adrian Van Allen * Museum Anthropology Review *
This book is an essential reading for anyone interested in the relationship between museums and visual anthropology. The exploration of a variety of theoretical issues, the use of diverse methodological approaches as 120 well as the introduction of international case studies makes this book relevant to any museum environment and a useful teaching tool. -- Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert, Cyprus University of Technology * Visual Studies *
Mary Bouquet's book is a thoughtful, impressive work, incorporating several histories: those of museums, anthropology, collecting and display and colonialism. It is particularly crucial for its international perspective which is absent from most studies of the subject. * Nan Rothschild, Director of Museum Studies, Columbia University *
Museums: A Visual Anthropology is a must-read for anyone trying to map out the complex field of museum studies and museum anthropology. Bouquet summarises a vast literature, drawing on case-studies from multiple geographical regions debates, and presenting a specifically European perspective. This is an eloquent and comprehensive survey of the historical trajectories and pressing concerns that inflect contemporary museum practice. * Haidy Geismar, Assistand Professor, Anthropology and Museum Studies, New York University. *
An excellent introduction to the field ... Bouquets stimulating book opens the way for a future discussion on the repatriation of objects and it presents many good examples of why we should keep studying museums and their histories. -- Johan Hegardt, Swedish History Museum * Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute *

Author Bio

Mary Bouquet is based at University College Utrecht, The Netherlands