Biculturalism at Otago Museum: A Case Study
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Date
2018-06-06
Authors
Underwood, Avery, Wailes Povelite
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Abstract
Otago Museum in Dunedin, New Zealand, is an institution in the beginning stages of a
museum-wide shift towards biculturalism. Presently, the Museum largely operates under a
western museology, and the shift to biculturalism means not only are objects and content
interpreted in the traditional western style, but also with respect to the worldview and with
the authority of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. A bicultural museum model
decolonizes the museum institution by giving authority and agency back to indigenous
peoples, creating a more comprehensive and inclusive museum. Approaching this research
project with a framework of biculturalism and bicultural practices as detailed by Conal
McCarthy in his 2011 Museums and Māori , this research intends to detail and better
understand the current and future bicultural practices of Otago Museum through interviews
with key staff members, observations of Otago Museum spaces, and analysis of the
Museum’s documents. This research aims to provide a better understanding of the Museum’s
bicultural practices and shift with the hope that the findings provide useful lessons for
museums in the rest of New Zealand and the world.
Description
90 pages
Keywords
Biculturalism, New Zealand, Otago Museum, National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Maori museology, Museology, Inclusive museology