Description
Book SynopsisAn examination of museums in China, surveying their development from the nineteenth century, and looking in particular at their incredible recent proliferation. Museums in China have undergone tremendous transformations since they first appeared in the country in the late nineteenth century. Futuristic, state-of-the-art museums have today become symbols of China's global cultural, economic and technological prominence, and over the last two decades, the number of Chinese museums has increased at an unprecedented rate, with China set to become the country with the highest number of museums in the world. But why have museums become so important? This book, based on extensive research in a number of the museums themselves, examines recent changes in their display methods, narratives, actors and architectural style. It also considers their representations of Chinese national identity, millenarian history and extraordinary cultural diversity. Through an analysis of the changes affecting not only what we observe through museums, but also the very medium of observation (i.e. museums themselves), this book provides a unique, original and timely exploration of the ongoing changes affecting Chinese society, and an evaluation of their consequences. Dr Marzia Varutti is apost-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Museum Studies, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.
Trade ReviewVarutti has done a great service by tackling the enormous topic of museums in China and bringing together a considerable Western secondary literature with her own observations of museums. * JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE *
The book provides a valuable theoretical introduction for scholars and students of museology and heritage studies. * THE CHINA JOURNAL *
There's much to learn from Varutti's detailed and readable study. * MUSEUMS JOURNAL *
As the subtitle of Varutti's work indicates, Museums in China: The Politics of Representation after Mao, offers an analysis of how Chinese museums today are involved in purposeful representation, above all of the new national identity 'organically' founded on heritage, history, and glorious art. * MUSEUM ANTHROPOLOGY REVIEW *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Cultural Heritage in China Museums in China: Origins and Development New Actors in the Chinese Museum World Museum Objects and the Chinese Nation The Nation in the Museum The Politics of the Past The Representation of the Past in China's Museums The Politics of Identity The Museum Representation of Ethnic Minorities Techniques and Sites of Display of Ethnic Minorities Conclusions: the New Museums of China Appendix: List of museums in China visited by the author Bibliography and References
