Museums and Empire: Natural History, Human Cultures and Colonial Identities

Museums and Empire is the first book to examine the origins and development of museums in six major regions of the British Empire in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It analyzes museum histories in thirteen major centers in Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, India and South-East Asia, setting them into the economic and social contexts of the cities and colonies in which they were located. Written in a lively and informative style, it also touches upon the history of many other museums in Britain and other territories of the Empire. A number of key themes emerge from its pages; the development of elites within colonial towns and cities; the emergence of the full range of cultural institutions associated with this; and the reception and modification of the key scientific ideas of the age. A major theme is the shift from natural history to ethnographic collecting, which generates key ideas upon the emergence of new colonial identities by the beginning of the twentieth century. There is also some discussion of international and imperial networks, of the development of a professionalized museum staff, as well as of display techniques to attract the public and create educational programs. The book is illustrated in order to illustrate points about museum architecture. It will be essential reading for all those concerned with museum studies and imperial history, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as among scholars in these fields. It will also be of interest to a wider public devoted to the cause of museums and heritage.