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Putting the Dead on Display: an Exploration of Visitor Perceptions

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Putting the Dead on Display: an Exploration of Visitor Perceptions University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations August 2014 Putting the Dead on Display: an Exploration of Visitor Perceptions and Motivations Regarding Preserved Human Remains in Museums with Particular Emphasis on the Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato and Body Worlds & the Cycle of Life Amanda Balistreri University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Library and Information Science Commons, and the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons Recommended Citation Balistreri, Amanda, "Putting the Dead on Display: an Exploration of Visitor Perceptions and Motivations Regarding Preserved Human Remains in Museums with Particular Emphasis on the Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato and Body Worlds & the Cycle of Life" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 489. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/489 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PUTTING THE DEAD ON DISPLAY: AN EXPLORATION OF VISITOR PERCEPTIONS AND MOTIVATIONS REGARDING PRESERVED HUMAN REMAINS IN MUSEUMS WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE MUSEO DE LAS MOMIAS DE GUANAJUATO AND BODY WORLDS & THE CYCLE OF LIFE by Amanda Balistreri A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Anthropology at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee August 2014 ABSTRACT PUTTING THE DEAD ON DISPLAY: AN EXPLORATION OF VISITOR PERCEPTIONS AND MOTIVATIONS REGARDING PRESERVED HUMAN REMAINS IN MUSEUMS WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE MUSEO DE LAS MOMIAS DE GUANAJUATO AND BODY WORLDS & THE CYCLE OF LIFE by Amanda Balistreri The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014 Under the Supervision of Professor Laura Villamil Viewing preserved human remains in museums can evoke visceral reactions of curiosity, awe, and repulsion. The popularity of sites and attractions where “the real dead are recreated, packaged up, and sold as an exhibitory experience” (Stone 2011:12) not only alludes to a contemporary fascination with death and dying but also to the economic benefit that institutions derive from providing such experiences. This study focuses on the institutional discourse and the public perception of two distinct exhibitions of relatively modern preserved human remains, the Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato in Mexico and the Body Worlds & the Cycle of Life traveling exhibition hosted by the Milwaukee Public Museum in the United States. Using data collected from the perspective of the institutions that curate and exhibit these unique collections as well as the responses of 400 visitors who experienced them, this study examines how preserved human remains are contextually objectified as biological specimens and/or cultural objects and how they are understood and accepted by the public when placed within scientific narratives and by their designation as cultural heritage. ii © Copyright by Amanda Balistreri, 2014 All Rights Reserved iii I would like to dedicate my thesis in loving memory of Concetta and Salvatore Balistreri, my Nani and Nanu. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................ii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................vii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Background ...........................................................................................2 Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato ...................................................3 Milwaukee Public Museum ..................................................................7 Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS ................................................10 The Present Study .................................................................................16 CHAPTER 2: MUSEUM COLLECTIONS AND THE DISPLAY OF HUMAN REMAINS Functions of Museums ..........................................................................18 Human Remains as Material Culture ....................................................22 Preserved Human Remains as Biological and Cultural Objects ...........26 Death on Display ...................................................................................35 CHAPTER 3: METHODS The Purpose and Motivations of Museums ..........................................41 Visitor Comments and Reactions..........................................................42 CHAPTER 4: THE PURPOSE AND MOTIVATIONS OF MUSEUMS Museum Mission Statement ..................................................................51 Methods of Display ...............................................................................56 Marketing Techniques ..........................................................................63 Discussion .............................................................................................75 CHAPTER 5: VISITOR COMMENTS AND REACTIONS Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato Online Reviews ........................ 80 BODY WORLDS & the Cycle of Life Interviews .................................. 93 Discussion ............................................................................................. 105 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION .....................................................................................111 REFERENCES CITED .................................................................................................114 v APPENDIX A: TripAdvisor.com Reviews ..................................................................122 APPENDIX B: TripAdvisor.com Reviews Spanish-English Translations...................152 APPENDIX C: BODY WORLDS & the Cycle of Life Visitor Perception ....................126 APPENDIX D: BODY WORLDS & the Cycle of Life Interview Responses ................178 APPENDIX E: Codes used in tables ............................................................................210 APPENDIX F: IRB Approval Letter ............................................................................211 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: “Angelitos, Santitos, and Smallest Mummy in the World” as seen in 2005 Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato ............................................................... 5 Figure 1.2: Banner Above BODY WORLDS exhibit entrance at MPM- 2014 ............. 9 Figure 1.3: BODY WORLDS & the Cycle of Life Layout- Milwaukee Public Museum 2014................................................................................................................... 15 Figure 4.1: Standing Mummies Museo de las Momias ................................................ 57 Figure 4.2: Infant Mummies Museo de las Momias ..................................................... 58 Figure 4.3: Walk around cases Museo de las Momias .................................................. 59 Figure 4.4: Peruvian Grave- Milwaukee Public Museum ............................................ 61 Figure 4.5: BODY WORLDS & the Cycle of Life Billboard- 2014 ............................... 65 Figure 4.6: BODY WORLDS Online Advertisement Showing Cropped Image-2014 .. 66 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 4.1: Advertising Methods ...................................................................................64 Table 5.1: Time Frame of Posts and Place of Origin of Reviewer MMG ....................81 Table 5.2: Language of Review MMG .........................................................................81 Table 5.3: Visitor Gender/Sex MMG ...........................................................................82 Table 5.4: Age of Visitor MMG ...................................................................................82 Table 5.5: Visitors Who Brought Children MMG ........................................................83 Table 5.6: Visitor Opinion of Child Appropriateness MMG ........................................83 Table 5.7: Nature of Collection Preservation MMG ....................................................84 Table 5.8: Origin of Mummies MMG ..........................................................................85 Table 5.9: Visitor Review Mentions Mummified Infants MMG ..................................85 Table 5.10: "Eerie" Feeling While in Museum MMG ..................................................86 Table 5.11: Museum as Insight into Mexican Culture MMG .......................................88 Table 5.12: Visitor Opinion of Appropriateness of Display MMG ..............................89 Table 5.13: Repeat Visitor MMG .................................................................................90 Table 5.14: Considered a “Must See” Museum MMG .................................................91 Table 5.15: Visitor Overall Rating MMG.....................................................................92 Table 5.16: Visitor Hometown BW ..............................................................................94 Table 5.17: Visitor Gender/Sex BW .............................................................................94 Table 5.18: Visitor Age BW .........................................................................................95 Table 5.19: Visitor Ethnicity BW .................................................................................95 Table 5.20: Visitor Highest Level of Education
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