The Exhibition Design of the Neuchatel Museum of Ethnography

Territories in Question: Routes in Territories
By Marc-Olivier Gonseth
English

To begin with, the author examines the relations between the Institute of Ethnology and the Museum of Ethnography from which it was born. Their relationship was structured by a museum-based paradigm from 1915 to the early 1970’s; since the 1980’s, their main focus has evolved around a critical ethnology concerned with the local and the exotic. The author then points out that although museums and universities develop their own specific methods and aims, they share “moments” during which their complementarity is important for the functioning of their respective missions. Indeed, the museal fields are likely to benefit from the experience of researchers who have worked on themes dealt with by exhibitions and, in return, museologists provide their colleagues with know-how in the area of visual representation. At the same time, the latter may benefit from researches on collections and in the archives (even if these may seem outdated), especially when a better grasp of one’s own history is needed. As far as metadiscursive theory is concerned, both ethnologists in the field and those working in museums obviously have a shared interest in their respective modes of expression and representation.

Keywords

  • History of ethnology
  • Fieldwork
  • Exhibition
  • Expography
  • Collections
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