| Specifications |
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Publisher: Centre For Museology & Conservation University Of Rajasthan, Jaipur And Literary Circle |
| Author Neekee Chaturvedi | |
| Language: English | |
| Pages: (with B/W Illustrations) | |
| Cover: HARDCOVER | |
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9.5x6.5 Inch |
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Weight 650 gm |
| Edition: 2025 | |
| ISBN: 9788198109699 | |
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HBU456 |
| Delivery and Return Policies |
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Usually ships in 15 days |
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Returns and Exchanges accepted within 7 days |
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Free Delivery |
In most
of South Asis, the establishment of museums was a significant aspect of
colonial project, which categorized and interpreted local cultures through a
western lens. Rethinking Museum Spaces: The Saath Asian Tars is a collection of
articles that explore and analyze several museum initiatives to (re)discover
voices stifled by or lost within the colonial muscum enterprise. The colonial
undertaking to establish museums left an enduring influence yet museum spaces
explored diverse ways to accommodate non-western perspectives. Such attempts
were exercises in showcasing knowledge and communities that were in the margins
of state endeavours. The practices of several muscums illustrate how the
museums created alternative spaces beyond or despite the overarching colonial
narrative. The scholarship needs to incorporate those museums that took charge
of the stories of local communities and people's narratives. Many museums that
were created by native rulers or rich merchants in the colonial period managed
to create their own framework beyond colonial diktats. There are many such
initiatives not only in India, but also in other South Asian countries such Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh etc. The central focus of this endeavour is to present the
diverse ways in which museum spaces attempted to engage with colonial
imaginings on their own terms and how the museums configured ways to
incorporate people's voices. Mathur and Singh point out correctly that,
"vernacular appropriations of the idea of "the museum' and the
considerably more eccentric establishments they represent are as crucial to
understanding the landscape of museums in India as impulse towards
internationally recognized museum models, While the prominent projects of
national importance like the national museums of Delhi and Kolkata received
scholarly attention, smaller regional museums from Rajasthan, Karnataka, Orissa
etc. have not captured academic spaces. "Heritage is something that is
done rather than possessed; it is an action and an intent than a 'thing' or a
'site'. Thus, it becomes pertinent to explore the variegated visions of museums
that sprung up across the region while analysing their underlying motivations. The
history of museums in South Asia was inextricably linked to British imperialism
in the region. As Cohn puts it, "By and large, until the early 20 century,
Indians were bystanders to the discussions and polemics which established
meaning and value for the Europeans. Although, the museums in the west were
seen as expressions of modern, democratic nation-states, the museums in South
Asia catered to the western spectators and oscillated between imperialist and
orientalist gaze. Sharon Macdonald has explained that museums select
"certain cultural official products for safe-keeping, for posterity and
public display a process which recognizes and affirm some identities, and omits
to recognize and affirm others. Museums have been known to be institutions of
recognition and identity but served the unique role of 'othering' in colonial
period in the Indian subcontinent. There is a long period of development of
museums in South Asia from the British colonial regime to the present times.
The early museums in colonial India were focused on zoological specimens and
later they were replete with archeological finds. The colonial initiatives
catered to the oriental gaze through antiquities belonging to a distant past or
objects that were a symbol of royal power and prestige. The exhibits were
pandering to the image of "the strange and the exotic" to use the
colonial knowledge of showcasing artefacts. Not only were the efforts to retain
native voices were almost non-existent, Indians themselves were of interest as
museum subjects. The power dynamics of the larger political arena played out
quite visibly within museums of the colonies. The transformation of the
colonial museum into a nationalist enterprise underscores that, "material
objects and monuments are not static embodiments of culture but are, rather, a
medium through which identity, power and society are produced and reproduced."
"National museums and collections underwent an important reconfiguration
in the twentieth century as newly independent nations hastened to present their
international credentials in this form, and older nations began to rearrange
their collections and their connections within the postcolonial world
order." The focus on colonial hangover over nationalist museums, though
sometimes with valid reasons, took the attention away from the forces of
history and the struggle of the once colonized people to break away from it,
even if not always succeeding. There were complex ways in which museums
ascertained their purposes and went about attaining them. If we look at the
history of colonial museums and national museums with this approach, we might
be able to find a fresh perspective for museum studies. Bouquet emphasizes
that, "there is a renewed commitment to trying to bring together the
insights from academic studies with the practical work of museums-to return to
some of the 'how to' concerns of the 'old museology' from a new, more
theoretically and empirically informed basis." The articles of this volume
showcase several case studies that use many different positions-being
descriptive.
Museums
are dynamic spaces where scholarship, practice, and polities intersect,
offering a lens to explore materiality, visualization and cultural practices.
In South Asia, however, museums have received limited academic attention,
despite their rich and complex histories. Rethinking Museum Spaces The S Asian
Turu seeks to address this gap by presenting a collection of essays that delve
into the bliste practices and evolving roles of museums in the region. From
colonial-era institutions to contemporary museum-building initiatives, the book
examines how muscums have navigated the challeng representing diverse voices
and knowledge systems. It highlights the enduring influence of col frameworks
while sh showcasing the innovative ways in which museum spaces have
incorporated local narratives and non-Western perspectives. The contributors
offer case studies from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Through these diverse
studies, the book reveals how museums have become sites of resistance.
reinvention and representation, often moving beyond the colonial narrative to
create alternative spaces that foreground.community voices and local histories.
This volume is an essential resource for scholars, practitioners and students
interested in museum studies, cultural heritage and the intersection of history
and politics in South Asia. It offers fresh perspectives on the transformative
potential of museums to engage with the past and reimagine their role in the
Present
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