Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Representation of different cultures and re-contextualization of material cultures in museum exhibitions have been central to anthropologists’ museum studies. In this paper, the author will present three case studies regarding South East Asian (new immigrants) cultural performances which she organized in the past in order to explore how museums can serve as venues for representation of foreign cultures and the possibilities of re-contextualizing foreign cultures in museums. Historically, Taiwan has been known as a pluralistic immigrant society. The waves of immigrants had contributed to the demographic features of Taiwan’s population and transformed Taiwan into a culturally and ethnically diverse country. In this paper, the author will discuss three South East Asian cultural performances and exhibitions which she designed for Taiwan’s National Museum of History. They are: “Treasures of Southeast Asia: Folk Artifacts of the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia” in 2007, “Welcome to the Museum, New Residents!” in 2015, “Old Collection, New Connection: A Joint Program of NMH and NER” in 2017. The author will examine how these cultural events created opportunities for participants to view “others” as “one of us.” She will also explore how museums and “new residents” can engage in collaborative partnerships as they focus on “people” rather than artifacts, “co-curation” rather than passive participation, “co-creation” rather than assistance.