Museum/archives Flashcards
Thatcher foundation funding
Substantial, allowed the building of a new archive block
Questionable as to whether records would have been kept without so much funding
Thatcher record management
Records managed (some removed) by a team at Downing Street before arriving at the archives
Gives some scope for omitting unflattering documents
Anthropology example
Interesting ethnographic items relating to the Northwest Coast Native Americans
Examples include a drum, a figurine/spiritual helper for shamanistic rituals
Seeing the items themselves helps us to understand the religions of the Native Americans, and therefore the effect of white impositions upon them better than through a secular, anachronistic lens
Archaeology example
Spectacular gold and garnet cross found in Trumpington, burried with a girl 1400 years ago
Dramatically demonstrates that the people of this small 7th century Anglo-Saxon village were connected to trade networks far beyond Cambridgeshire
Work of a talented jeweller, containing garnets which are likely from Asia
Uneven relationship between anthropologist and people
Ethnographic objects were not neutral gifts - given as tributes, often out of fear
Von Jugel was a key collector, often using tobacco and alcohol to acquire objects
Luristan bronzes
Acquired through illegal arts trade - taken without context (e.g. testing the soil) so almost impossible to use
Question in postcolonial discourse
Natural question is when will all the items be returned to the country they originated in?
Robert Cotton background
Key collector of manuscripts for different areas - 800 volumes
Founded Society of Antiquaries in 1580s
Organised library in 1620s by 12 busts of emperors from Caesar to Domitian
Robert Cotton arbitrary
Only sold to state against his wishes by grandson, Sir John Cotton
1731 - Ahsburnham House fire destroyed many key manuscripts and damaged others e.g. Beowulf
