Speaker: Prof. Akira MATSUDA
(Cultural Resources Studies, Graduate school of Humanities and Sociology, University of Tokyo)
Title: New perspectives in museum studies and public archaeology

Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2017, at 3 pm
Venue: Room 702, Research Building, IHP, Academia Sinica, Taipei City

Abstract:
Building on the idea of 'new museology', museum studies have over the last few decades promoted and catalysed the shift from object-centred to people-centred approaches to museums. In the same period, the discipline of archaeology has witnessed the emergence and growth of public archaeology, which emphasises the need for archaeologists to actively engage with various members of the public. These two developments, which at first glance may seem unrelated, have both been influenced by a few critical theories in anthropology and sociology, such as reflexivity, the multivocality of artefacts and post-colonialism. Today, under the growing pressure of economic neoliberalism, museum studies and public archaeology are exploring less critical and more practical ways to make museums and archaeology relevant to modern society; examples of new innovation include crowdsourcing, closer engagement with contemporary art, and mobilisation of artefacts in people's everyday places.

Organiser:
- Anthropology Department, IHP, Academia Sinica
- EFEO Taipei Center

This seminar will be chaired by Dr. TAI Li-chuan (IHP) Academia Sinica
The talk will be given in English. Registration is not required.

 lecture