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

Description

Museums and empire is the first book to examine the origins and development of museums in six major regions if the British Empire in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It analyses museum histories in thirteen major centres 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. It will be essential reading for students and academics concerned with museum studies and imperial history and to a wider public devoted to the cause of museums and heritage -- .

John MacKenzie is Emeritus Professor of Imperial History, Lancaster University and holds Honorary Professorships at Aberdeen, St Andrews and Stirling, as well as an Honorary Fellowship at Edinburgh. -- .

'An outstanding and original book which deals both authoritatively and perceptively with an important but hitherto rather neglected aspect of imperial cultures. It is engrossing, deeply informative and beautifully written. There is no doubt that it will make a valuable contribution to scholarship across a range of disciplines, as well as enhancing the well-established Studies in Imperialism series.' Dr. Nigel Rigby, National Maritime Museum.