Curating self-determination : individual, institutional, and intercultural relationships in australia's museums

Abstract

Since the 1970s, museums have come to re-envision their social purpose, and the ways in which they can and should serve their various stakeholders. Following this, museums have come to associate themselves with the realization of minority rights, articulated in the principles of the new museology and developed alongside civil rights movements drawing attention to the historic violations of Indigenous rights within these institutions. As a result, "self-determination" has entered discourses of museum practice, changing the ways in which museums perceive their responsibilities toward Indigenous collections; motivating new conversations with Indigenous people; and relating these interactions to notions of human rights, social justice, and equality. The notion of "self-determination," however, contains significant internal contradictions, basing groups' rights to maintain their social and cultural differences and the autonomy to do so on arguments of inherent universal equalities. In turn, these same arguments of equality, coupled with concerns for the unity of the nation, require communities' full inclusion within the life of the nation, without distinction or discrimination. The effect of power imbalances between majority and minority perspectives, then, is frequently to challenge the realization of Indigenous self-determination by pushing for people's greater participation in pre-existing social, economic, and political structures, assuming their assimilation into dominant frameworks rather than protecting their differences. Theories of interculturality, which address the ways in which identities are constantly (re)negotiated through interactions with others, offer a more dynamic view of the mutual impact of such engagements, suggesting that inclusion of Indigenous minorities within mainstream structures need not require their assimilation. Attention to such intercultural exchange, however, also reveals the ways in which structures of power are reproduced within these engagements, as national interests gain a stake in the expression and representation of Indigenous identities and cultures. Recognizing the substantial external influence exerted here in the construction of "authentic" Indigenous identities thereby further calls into question the ability of Indigenous people to relate to others based upon their own representations of self. This thesis furthers these discussions of Indigenous rights and intercultural relationships by interrogating intended meanings and assumed outcomes in such social goals as "self-determination," "inclusion," and "protection of diversity," with a particular focus on Australia and Aboriginal Australians. In doing so, I consider the work of self-determination as enacted by individuals within four Australian cultural institutions, questioning the context inspiring their particular pursuit of self-determination and the nature of relationships that develop in response. Considering these institutions individually and comparatively and building upon histories of Aboriginal policies and Australian museums, I argue that "self-determination" in Australia should not be interpreted as a discrete period of Aboriginal policy but as part of an evolving and enduring process to address the presence of Aboriginal difference while maintaining national unity. Despite the declaration of its end as a policy approach, "self-determination" continues to gain its greatest meaning and content from the quality of intercultural relationships it inspires, and the extent to which emerging dialogues allow for recognition of and negotiation between both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal identities. Show more