On the edge of inclusion: A look at the shifting of representation in museum display and archival cataloging

Author

Natalie RayFollow

Graduation Date

Spring 2019

Document Type

Project

Program

Master of Arts degree with a major in English, emphasis in Literary & Cultural Studies

Committee Chair Name

Janelle Adsit

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Second Committee Member Name

Carly Marino

Second Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Third Committee Member Name

Barbara Curiel

Third Committee Member Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Archives, Museums, Representation, Cultural theory, History, Museology, Decolonization, Retroactivism, Metacognition

Subject Categories

History

Abstract

This project, entitled "On The Edge of Inclusion: A Look at the Shifting of Representation in Museum Display and Archival Cataloging" by Natalie Ray delves into how the growing trend of social justice has raised new questions about how to better represent marginalized populations and how museum work has followed this pursuit. The digital age continues to impact the dynamism of exhibiting. Accurate representation becomes more imperative now that representative texts are able to reach more people than ever before. This increasing access coupled with the expanding interest in social justice and cultural reconciliation renders it necessary for curators and archivists to create accurate and culturally sustaining work. The exhibits and collections being viewed are in flux, and the texts that have been prepared for the public have been conceived by individuals and institutions with their own motivations and directives. Awareness of this fact allows for visitors to be critical of these possible inflections and misinterpretations. The first chapter provides an overview of the field and structuring of the project, the second chapter analyzes the current conversation among practitioners, the third chapter reviews the methodologies of this project, and the fourth is the project’s conclusion. This project aims to recognize practices that are creating new schemas by which archivists and curators will structure history. And more specifically, the literature review of this project is looking at those schemas that are working to promote previously regulated or oppressed histories. Following the literature review are suggestions for how the archival process might be changed through teaching integration and increased public outreach.

Citation Style

APA

Recommended Citation

Ray, Natalie, "On the edge of inclusion: A look at the shifting of representation in museum display and archival cataloging" (2019). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 276.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/276