Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

The point of initiation in this exploration is Romila Thapar’s comment in ‘Museums in India: past and future’, “In India, the institution of a museum was initially a colonial imposition. Its establishment lay in colonial views of knowledge about India with a recognizable ideological purpose of giving an identity to the Indian past.” In a systematic exploration and documentation of the cultural landscape of the colonized spaces, the British conceptualized the idea of studying heritage by introducing a new system of knowledge based on scientific western academic disciplines like art history, archaeology, and museology. (Bhattacharya 2014) The basis of the narratives built by the British was within their limited understanding of Indian culture and these narratives translated into the displays within the museums built by them. Museology as a practice in India, continued to function on the same principles and guidelines for a considerable period of time. In a more contemporary and a much deeper understanding post-independence, it is clear that a scientific approach is not sufficient to capture the layers and nuances of culture and heritage and its significance to the associated community. Our practice of museology is so ingrained in the colonial concepts and structures that we intentionally or un-intentionally, continue to function within those ideas, despite forming a more holistic understanding of culture studies. The paper explores three museums in Bengaluru, Government Museum, MEG Madras Sappers Museum and Archives and the more recent Kempegowda Museum to understand the narratives presented and how the manifestation of colonial inheritance.