The Politics of Representation in Museums

Tythacott, Louise

Abstract

This entry begins by examining key words, ‘politics’, ‘power’ and ‘representation’, as they relate to the museum. It then moves on to explore how the politics of representation have been manifested in displays. A range of exhibitions is examined, particularly in national, art and ethnographic museums. The article argues posits the case that museums are not simply neutral containers of objects, but are ideologically loaded spaces, and it demonstrates how museum displays have, over the past decades, become politically charged battlegrounds between differing communities.

Citation

Tythacott, L. (2010). The Politics of Representation in Museums. In M. J. Bates (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (4230-4241). Taylor and Francis

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Jul 21, 2014
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Pages: 4230-4241
• Book Title: Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences
• ISBN: 9780849397110