Trinity University Digital Commons @ Trinity Sociology and Anthropology Honors Theses Sociology and Anthropology Department 4-21-2010 Whose Identity? The Responsibilities of Museums in the Representation of the Past and Present Stephanie Allen Trinity University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/socanthro_honors Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Allen, Stephanie, "Whose Identity? The Responsibilities of Museums in the Representation of the Past and Present" (2010). Sociology and Anthropology Honors Theses. 2. http://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/socanthro_honors/2 This Thesis open access is brought to you for free and open access by the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Digital Commons @ Trinity. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology and Anthropology Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Trinity. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Whose Identity? The Responsibilities of Museums in the Representation of the Past and Present Stephanie Allen A DEPARTMENT HONORS THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION WITH DEPARTMENTAL HONORS DATE ______ _______________________________ ________________________________ PRIMARY THESIS ADVISOR DEPARTMENT CHAIR _______________________________ SECONDARY THESIS ADVISOR _________________________________________________ ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, CURRICULUM AND STUDENT ISSUES Student Copyright Declaration: the author has selected the following copyright provision (select only one): [√] This thesis is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which allows some noncommercial copying and distribution of the thesis, given proper attribution. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA. [ ] This thesis is protected under the provisions of U.S. Code Title 17. Any copying of this work other than “fair use” (17 USC 107) is prohibited without the copyright holder’s permission. [ ] Other: Whose Identity? The Responsibilities of Museums in the Representation of the Past and Present Stephanie Lynn Allen Senior Honors Thesis Project 04/21/2010 Primary Advisor: Jennifer Mathews Secondary Advisor: Mark Garrison Trinity University Acknowledgments I want to thank everyone who was so incredibly helpful to me throughout the research and writing process for this thesis. First, I would like to thank the Alvarez Student Travel Fund through Trinity University, without which I would not have been able to fund my trip to Mexico City. I would also like to thank my two advisors, Dr. Jennifer Mathews and Dr. Mark Garrison for their constant support and feedback on my numerous drafts and rewritings. I want to give special thanks to Irma DeLeon in the Anthropology Department of Trinity University for helping me plan and organize my trip to Mexico, and then for patiently putting up with our numerous meetings over travel finances. Finally, I just want to thank all of my friends and family who had to put up with my constant complaints, pleas to let me work in peace (even, sadly, over the holidays), and the never‐ending editing and proof‐reading requests. Thank you everyone for keeping me sane throughout this entire process; I couldn’t have done it without your support! 2 Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………………………….… 4 Personal Note ……………………………………………………………………………………………... 5 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….. ……… 5‐17 A Critique of Museum Representation of Other Cultures .……………………..……. 6‐9 An Anthropologist’s Approach to Museums: A Focus on Context ………………… 9‐13 Why Context is Important: Cultural Identity and Museums ……………………….. 13‐15 Communication and the Production of Messages ……………………………………….. 15‐17 Methodology of Paper ……………………………………………………………………….. ……… 17 Case Studies ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18‐52 Houston Museum of Natural Science …………………………………………………………. 18‐22 San Antonio Museum of Art ………………………………………………………………………. 22‐28 Dallas Museum of Art ………………………………………………………………………………… 28‐32 Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth …………………………………………………….………. 32‐35 Templo Mayor Museum in México City ………………………………………………………. 35‐41 Museo Nacional de Antropología in México City ………………………………..………. 41‐52 Comparisons and Conclusions ……………………………………………………….…............. 52‐68 Suggestions for Museums …………………………………………………………………………… 59‐65 Practicalities …………………………………………………………………………………………….… 65‐68 Appendices ……………………………………………………………………………….…………………. i‐cxcvii Appendix I (Images) ……………………………………………………………………………………. i‐xviii Appendix II (Text Transcription from HMNS) ……..……………………………………….. xix‐xxii Appendix III (Text Transcription from SAMA) …..…………………………………………. xxiii‐xxx Appendix IV (Text Transcription from DMA) …….…………………………………………. xxxi‐xxxvi Appendix V (Text Transcription from Kimbell) …………………………………………….. xxxvii‐xli Appendix VI (Text Transcription and Translation from Templo Mayor) ….……. xlii‐cxv Appendix VII (Text Transcription and Translation from the MNA)………………… cxvi‐cxcvii Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………….………………….. cxcviii‐cc 3 Abstract The goal of this thesis is to investigate the nature of cultural identity as represented in, and connected to museums and the artifacts they contain. In particular, I will focus on the different ways anthropologists, archaeologists and many museums approach the problem of representation within a museum setting. Based upon a review of the literature within the fields of anthropology, museum studies, and archaeology, I will discuss how cultural identity is constructed and represented in a museum setting, demonstrating that the collective identities of both those who view archaeological collections, and the descendents of those represented may be influenced by the information they receive. Using examples of Pre‐Columbian art collections (in particular, Olmec, West Mexican, Maya and Aztec cultures) at six museums in Texas and Mexico City, I will examine the messages projected to the viewer through the layout, organization, displays, and text of exhibits on Pre‐Columbian cultures. I will argue that these messages are conveyed to the public in an attempt to influence or guide the viewer to certain conclusions about the culture. In so doing, a museum is participating in the creation of a mythology surrounding that culture. In my concluding remarks, I propose, based on the way visitors assimilate information, the adoption of a specific communication model intended to reduce these kinds of messages, which may very well be unintentional. I also suggest ways in which museums can work together with various stakeholders, including indigenous communities, the general public, archaeology and academia for the purposes of sharing cultural heritage in a more ethically responsible and representative manner. 4 Personal Note I want to start off with an attempt to acknowledge my own personal biases. I started this project with the intention of uncovering the hidden meanings within museum text, and so went into this looking for such concealed messages. But, despite my conclusions, I realize that each person will see what they wish, have their own opinions, and draw their own conclusions on such complicated issues as cultural representation. My background in anthropology greatly influences my outlooks and perceptions, playing a large role in the shaping of my argument. Introduction Museums are social institutions, with the self‐proclaimed goal, as can be seen in most of their mission statements, of educating the public on the history of our own as well as other people’s cultures. Based on these kinds of statements, for the purposes of this discussion, I will take it for granted that most museums adopt this kind of educational goal. Museums, thus, come in all shapes and sizes, from natural science museums to museums of art, and from children’s museums to those geared towards adults. Museums can be places of learning, where people go to experience and immerse themselves in another culture without actually having to travel anywhere (Hooper‐Greenhill 1992: 12‐18; Hooper‐ Greenhill 1994: 54‐68). But what kinds of messages or information are museums really presenting to the public? What effect do these messages have on the public perceptions of other cultures, particularly those very different from their own? One category of message involves the idea of group or cultural identity. Museums are sites for “the play of identity, [with displays] involved in defining the identities of communities—or in denying them identity” (Karp et. al., 1992: 19). How museums display objects or depict different cultures has a profound impact on how those cultures are perceived, and in some cases, how they see themselves. In fact our own culture and biases can then be discerned from how we portray these cultures in a museum setting. 5 All museums present a specific point of view, even if they do not do so overtly (Knudson et al.,1999, 238), and museums are not just places for storing artifacts but places for people (Knudson et al, 1999, 238). Presumably, this social function provides visitors with “. a new sense of perception” (Knudson et al., 1999, 238), or a new outlook on the world. Physical objects play a critical role in creating this perception through helping us relate to other cultures, and museums have certain responsibilities