Material cultures of imperialism in Eastern Africa, c.1870-1920 : a study of ethnographic collecting and display
This dissertation examines the entangled relationship between ethnographic collecting and early British imperial expansion in present-day Uganda and neighbouring parts of Kenya. Between 1870 and 1920, thousands of objects from this region were accessioned by British museums and their colonial counterparts in eastern Africa. However, historians and curators alike know remarkably little about the contexts of their acquisition. Histories of the colonial period in Uganda and Kenya have rarely engaged with these crucial material sources, relying instead upon methodologies that privilege the textual and oral archive. Meanwhile in museum histories and displays, objects from eastern Africa are eclipsed by material culture from western Africa and Egypt. By combining close object analysis with archival and visual material, and by drawing on theoretical approaches to material culture from anthropology, this thesis reassembles the rich and complex histories of this important material archive for the first time. In doing so, it reveals the significant material underpinnings of both imperial and counter-imperial activity in the region. Focusing on a variety of different collectors ranging from colonial officials to missionaries,
Bennett, Alison
Material cultures of imperialism in Eastern Africa, c.1870-1920 : a study of ethnographic collecting and display. This dissertation examines the entangled relationship between ethnographic collecting and early British imperial expansion in present-day Uganda and neighbouring parts of Kenya. Between 1870 and 1920, thousands of objects from this region were accessioned by British museums and their colonial counterparts in eastern Africa. However, historians and curators alike know remarkably little about the contexts of their acquisition. Histories of the colonial period in Uganda and Kenya have rarely engaged with these crucial material sources, relying instead upon methodologies that privilege the textual and oral archive. Meanwhile in museum histories and displays, objects from eastern Africa are eclipsed by material culture from western Africa and Egypt. By combining close object analysis with archival and visual material, and by drawing on theoretical approaches to material culture from anthropology, this thesis reassembles the rich and complex histories of this important material archive for the first time. In doing so, it reveals the significant material underpinnings of both imperial and counter-imperial activity in the region. Focusing on a variety of different collectors ranging from colonial officials to missionaries,
material_culture imperialism eastern_africa study ethnographic collect display examines entangle relationship ethnographic collect early british_imperial expansion present_day uganda neighbouring part kenya thousand object region accession british_museum colonial counterpart eastern_africa however historian curator alike know remarkably little contexts acquisition histories colonial_period uganda kenya rarely engage crucial material source rely instead upon methodology privilege textual oral archive meanwhile museum history display object eastern_africa eclipse material_culture western africa egypt combine close object analysis archival visual_material draw theoretical_approach material_culture anthropology rich complex history important material archive first_time reveals significant material underpinnings imperial counter imperial activity region focusing variety_different collector range colonial official missionary