The International Symposium “Museums in the Era of Post-Nationalism: Methods of Exhibiting Minority/Indigenous Cultures“
The International Symposium of Minpaku Special Research Project
for the 50th Anniversary of the Museum’s Founding
“Museums in the Era of Post-Nationalism: Methods of Exhibiting Minority/Indigenous Cultures“
| Date | February 25 (Sunday), 2024 10：30-17：00 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Conference Room 4, National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka |
| Organizer | National Museum of Ethnology |
| Language | English and Japanese (simultaneous interpretation available) |
| Audience | Open to the public (free of charge / advance registration required / capacity of 60 [first-come, first-served]) |
| Registration | For registration and further information, please contact us by email ＜motoi(at) minpaku.ac.jp＞. The deadline for application is Wednesday, February 21st, 17:00(JST). |
Introduction
This symposium considers post-nationalism as a process that involves constructing a new form of nationalism based on cultural diversity to replace the old form of nationalism based on the cultural homogeneity of the nation. In the era of post-nationalism, there is a conflict between the interest in respecting diverse cultures and the interest in maintaining the cultural integration of the nation. This raises the question of who recognizes what kind of diversity.
Museums that exhibit minority/indigenous cultures are not immune to this question. How should museums respond to it? The first step is to enhance minority/indigenous exhibits, but this is not enough. The issue is to show the relationship between the majority of the population and minorities/indigenous peoples, or the position of minorities/indigenous peoples within the population as a whole. And there is no doubt that these tasks will require collaboration with minority/indigenous communities and dialogue with visitors.
This symposium will explore international trends in minority/indigenous cultural exhibitions in museums during the post-nationalist era. It will consist of three sessions: ‘Exhibitions of Indigenous Peoples / Exhibitions by Indigenous Peoples,’ ‘Cultural Diversity and National Integration,’ and ‘Questions Raised by Museums.’
Program
Conference opening
| 10:30-10:35 |
Welcome. Kenji Yoshida, Director General, Minpaku |
|---|---|
| 10:35-10:50 |
Introduction of the symposium. Motoi Suzuki, Minpaku |
Session1: Exhibitions of Indigenous Peoples / Exhibitions by Indigenous Peoples
| 10:55-11:35 |
an=ukokor aynu ikor oma kenru or ta aynupuri makanak an=nukare ruwe an? （Representation of the Ainu culture in National Ainu Museum.） Shiro Sasaki, National Ainu Museum |
|---|---|
| 11:35-12:15 |
Post-national + post colonial = post museum? Lessons from exhibitions curated in South Pacific museums. Conal McCarthy, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. |
Session 2: Cultural Diversity and National Integration
| 13:15-13:55 |
Decentering Canadian Museums and Curatorship: Policies and Praxes Anthony A. Shelton, University of British Columbia, Canada |
|---|---|
| 13:55-14:35 |
History and Trends of Museums over Ancient Egypt. Kaoru Suemori, Minpaku |
Session 3: Questions raised by Museums
| 14:50-15:30 |
Rethinking “Museum as a Forum” in Minpaku. Motoi Suzuki, Minpaku |
|---|---|
| 15:30-16:10 |
Uncertain Archives, Affective Writing: Speculative Experimentation in Museum Storage. Laura Osorio Sunnucks, Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, Germany, with Magdalena Araus Sieber, Diego Atehortúa and Maria de las Mercedes Martínez Milantchi(not present) |
Session 4
| 16:20-16:55 | General Discussion |
|---|---|
| 16:55-17:00 | Concluding Remarks |