Cracks in the Dome: Fractured Histories of Empire in the Zanzibar Museum, 1897-1964

Author:   Sarah Longair
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN:  

9780367598549


Pages:   338
Publication Date:   30 June 2020
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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Cracks in the Dome: Fractured Histories of Empire in the Zanzibar Museum, 1897-1964


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Overview

As one of the most monumental and recognisable landmarks from Zanzibar’s years as a British Protectorate, the distinctive domed building of the Zanzibar Museum (also known as the Beit al-Amani or Peace Memorial Museum) is widely known and familiar to Zanzibaris and visitors alike. Yet the complicated and compelling history behind its construction and collection has been overlooked by historians until now. Drawing on a rich and wide range of hitherto unexplored archival, photographic, architectural and material evidence, this book is the first serious investigation of this remarkable institution. Although the museum was not opened until 1925, this book traces the longer history of colonial display which culminated in the establishment of the Zanzibar Museum. It reveals the complexity of colonial knowledge production in the changing political context of the twentieth century British Empire and explores the broad spectrum of people from diverse communities who shaped its existence as staff, informants, collectors and teachers. Through vivid narratives involving people, objects and exhibits, this book exposes the fractures, contradictions and tensions in creating and maintaining a colonial museum, and casts light on the conflicted character of the ’colonial mission’ in eastern Africa.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sarah Longair
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.480kg
ISBN:  

9780367598549


ISBN 10:   036759854
Pages:   338
Publication Date:   30 June 2020
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Zanzibar, museums and the British Empire; Museum precedents: British imperial culture, collecting and display in Zanzibar, 1897-1922; ‘Muskiti ya Bwana Sinclair’: building the Peace Memorial Museum, 1919-1925; ‘The same breed of museum worker’: curators, collaborators and the museum community, 1925-1942; Trusteeship of culture: acquisition and display of the museum’s collection, 1925-1942; Explaining the ‘puzzling new world’: education and reaching out beyond the museum, 1925-1942; The museum and ‘the unhappy archives’: preserving Zanzibar’s past in the era of decolonisation, 1942-1964; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

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Author Information

Sarah Longair received her PhD from Birkbeck, University of London, and currently works in the Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at the British Museum. Her research explores British colonial history in East Africa and the Indian Ocean world through material and visual culture. She has published several book chapters and articles, and has co-edited the volume Curating Empire: Museums and the British Imperial Experience (2012) and two special issues of the Museums History Journal.

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