| dc.description.abstract | Since 2000, the number of museum exhibitions on Dutch slavery history has increased. As the manner in which slavery history is represented is highly scrutinized in the public debate, this thesis proposes to study examples of how Dutch museums and academics have displayed and described material culture related to slavery. Museum exhibitions form particularly interesting sources on the representation of slavery as they are telling of how entanglement between cultures is considered and relayed to the public. Moreover, some museums even derive their collections or their entire institutional existence from Dutch colonial times, instigating the need to delve into their own history as intertwined with slavery as well. Exhibitions thus form a bridge between the past and the present.
By considering the differences and similarities between academic and museum approaches towards representing slavery history, this thesis aims to propose an additional concept which may add to their efforts. The hypothesis is that the concept of histoire croisée can be valuable as it strives to maintain balance between European and non-European perspectives by identifying these parties and their mutual influence on entanglement on an equal level. Its merits will be tested in this thesis to consider how the concept of histoire croisée could be used by museum staff to help improve the representation of Dutch slavery history in museums by further enhancing the capacity for multiperspectivity and inclusivity. In order to test this hypothesis, examples of academic work on material culture of slavery are compared to the experience of museum staff on several slavery exhibitions organized between 2000 and 2017. Interviews held with staff members, connected to exhibition texts and catalogue introductions, give an overview of the motivations and strategies employed.
As a result, the research shows the remarkable degree to which both historians in the ‘academy’ and museum staff appear to be working towards representing the history of slavery as an entangled history. The concept of histoire croisée can add to this development as its specific merit lies in the continuing attention it draws to the value of looking at cultural exchange by placing the cultures involved on a balanced scale. Hence, its methodology is able to lay bare any gaps in narratives and collections when the balance leans towards a European view. Additionally, the concept’s theory itself can also be enhanced by taking the connection between the past and present into account as this feature is invaluable to museum practice. Histoire croisée can thus serve as a useful tool to interpret the objects and perspectives involved in exchange and to increase and safeguard the balance between perspectives. As this thesis narrowed the scope of the research to include only material culture and Dutch slavery, future research on histoire croisée may include the effects it may have on immaterial culture and transnational examples to further investigate the merits or shortcomings of this concept in practice. | |
