Transformations: Asia Pacific Museums
in the Twenty First Century
Humanities Research Centre (HRC), Australian National University
(ANU) in conjunction with the Graduate Studies Program in Sustainable
Heritage Development, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies,
ANU and the National Museum of Australia.
Conveners: Dr Caroline Turner (HRC, ANU), Professor
Amareswar Galla (RSPAS, ANU), Ms Margo Neale (National Museum
of Australia).
Venue
Humanities Research Centre, The Australian National University
Dates
5-6 February 2004
Goals, proceedings, and outcomes of the conference
Goals, proceedings, and outcomes of the conference
This conference coincided with the first Asia-Pacific week at
the Australian National University and was intended as a major
HRC contribution to the events of that week. It also allowed for
the communication of some of the results of research from an ARC
linkages grant between the HRC, Melbourne University and the National
Museum of Australia underway since 2002 and entitled “The
Other Within”. It also contributed substantially to teaching
programs and research infrastructure of courses in the Sustainable
Heritage Development Program in the Research School of Pacific
and Asian Studies at the ANU website: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/heritage/
A number of sessions dealt with cross-cultural themes and representations
of minority and indigenous groups in museums in the region. One
of the most complex and challenging issues in the world today
is the culture of “the Other”. As Indian scholar,
Dr Geeta Kapur, has noted, the problem of identity has been taken
to be axiomatic in a nation in the making. Yet this issue of identity
has often been associated with concepts of an homogenous society
and culture within nations, and with a concentration on such homogeneity
in national museums. Identity has also been linked with ethnographic
representations of minority cultures, which often are seen as
ignoring contemporary and changing living cultures. This conference
was constructed to examine the way some museums in the Asia-Pacific
are leading the way in dealing with indigenous, tribal, minority
and “subaltern” cultures and with the challenges of
multiculturalism through innovative cross-cultural displays and
exhibitions.
Speakers looked at a number of important developments within those
museums. A major focus of the papers was on new programs dealing
with “intangible heritage” and living cultures.
Our aim was to explore the multiplicity of changes taking place
in museums in the region of the exhibition, in a forum for ideas
and reflections that allowed time for open and frank discussion
of the issues.
The result was a rich exchange of views and ideas.
Keynote Speakers
Professor Chen Xiejun, Director, Shanghai Museum who spoke on
the Shanghai Museum’s programs;
Ms Corazon Alvina, Director National Museum of the Philippines
who spoke on on issues related to indigenous culture in the Philippines;
Professor Jyotindra Jain, Dean, School of Arts and Aesthetics,
Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi and former Director of the Crafts Museum
which has an emphasis on tribal art in India who directed his
paper to Indian issues
Professor Amareswar Galla, Director Sustainable Heritage Development
Program, RSPAS and President of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of ICOM
who spoke on cross-cultural representations.
Attendance: 58
List of papers presented (titles)
Publications
The conference is part of the communication of results from an
ARC Linkages grant and several of the papers will be published
as part of a book being edited by Galla and Turner on the subject
of the conference. Several of the participants are also publishing
aspects of their presentations elsewhere, ie as part of PhD research.
Caroline Turner Humanities Research Centre, The Australian National
University, 2004.
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