Overview

For some time now, museums have been recognized as important institutions of western cultural and social life. The idea of the museum as a ritual site is fairly new and has been applied to the art museums in Europe and the United States so far. This volume expands it by exploring a range of contemporary museums in Europe and Africa. The case studies examine the different ways in which various actors involved in cultural production dramatize and ritualize such sites. It turns out that not only museum specialists, but visitors themselves are engaged in complex performances and experiences that make use of museums in often unexpected ways.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mary Bouquet ,  Nuno Porto
Publisher:   Berghahn Books, Incorporated
Imprint:   Berghahn Books, Incorporated
Weight:   0.472kg
ISBN:  

9781571815200

ISBN 10:   1571815201
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   01 December 2004
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures Acknowledgements Introduction: Science, Magic and Religion: the Ritual Processes of Museum Magic Mary Bouquet and Nuno Porto PART I: OBJECTS OF SCIENCE? BABY AND THE MUMMIES Chapter 1. Memorialising the Future: the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester Penelope Harvey Chapter 2. Unwrapping Mummies and Telling their Stories: Egyptian Mummies in Museum Rhetoric Anna Wieczorkiewicz PART II: SITE SPECIFICS: THE CASE OF TERVUREN Chapter 3. Congo-Vision Barbara Saunders Chapter 4. The Scourge of Chief Kansabala: the Ritual Life of Two Congolese Masterpieces at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (1884-2001) Boris Wastiau PART III: ENCOUNTERS, PERFORMANCES AND UNPREDICTABLES Chapter 5. Paradise in the Making at Artis Zoo, Amsterdam Natasha Silva Chapter 6. The Natural Magic of Monte San Giovanni: Authority, Authenticity and Ritual in Sardinia Tracey Heatherington Chapter 7. The Performance of Heritage in a Reconstructed, Post-Apartheid Museum in Namibia Ian Fairweather Chapter 8. Haunted Art: Visiting an Exhibit in Weimar Barbara Wolbert PART IV: DILEMMAS OF ENCHANTMENT Chapter 9. Enchantment and its Dilemmas: the Museum as a Ritual Site Sharon Macdonald Notes on Contributors Index

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Author Information

Mary Bouquet teaches Cultural Anthropology and Museum Studies at Utrecht University College. Her recent publications include Academic Anthropology and the Museum, also published by Berghahn Books (2001).

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