Project Details
Description
This project investigates a collection of Tuareg material culture housed at the Horniman Museum, London, and collected by the anthropologist Jeremy Keenan between 1969-1972. In this project I am asking how these collections and collecting practices were shaped by previously-established collections of Tuareg material culture, and whether the collections made for the Horniman, like Keenan’s anthropological writing, might reflect change and disruption rather than an idealized continuity. I am also reading the archival material for evidence of indigenous agency in the formation of these collections. This collection was made very soon after Algerian independence, when the Tuareg way of life was under increasing pressure from environmental and political forces. The documentation surrounding this collection is extensive, and provides a unique insight into the possibilities for indigenous representation through museum collections in a post-colonial context.
The findings of the research will be prepared for publication in an academic journal such as Museum and Society, Museum Anthropology or The Journal of North African Studies. I will also use this project as an exploratory case for a larger project I am developing on indigenous agency in museum collections.
I received funding to support this project from UoA 15 in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The findings of the research will be prepared for publication in an academic journal such as Museum and Society, Museum Anthropology or The Journal of North African Studies. I will also use this project as an exploratory case for a larger project I am developing on indigenous agency in museum collections.
I received funding to support this project from UoA 15 in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Status | Active |
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Effective start/end date | 1/05/22 → … |