Legacies of Colonialism in Museum Collections

The (Un)Making of Indonesian Islam in the Netherlands

Series: 

This groundbreaking book tells the untold story of Indonesian Islam in museums. Often overshadowed by Hindu-Buddhist art, Indonesian Islamic heritage rarely receives the attention it deserves in museum collections and exhibitions. This book unravels the historical silences rooted in Dutch colonial rule that have marginalized Indonesian Islamic material culture. Delving into the colonial archives, it traces the journey of Indonesian objects in Dutch museums, exploring their original meanings and their re-appropriation during instances of collecting, classification, interpretation and public display. Through this lens, the book addresses the enduring impacts of colonialism and offers pathways for the decolonization of museums today.
Copyright Year:
2025
E-Book (PDF)
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-68842-1
Publication:
23 Dec 2024
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-68841-4
Publication:
19 Dec 2024
Cover Legacies of Colonialism in Museum Collections

Prices from (excl. shipping):

€154.03€146.00 excl. VAT
Add to Cart
Mirjam Shatanawi, Ph.D., University of Amsterdam, is Senior Lecturer of Heritage Theory at the Reinwardt Academy. She has published on Islamic heritage and museum collections, including Islam and Heritage in Europe (Routledge, 2021) and Islam at the Tropenmuseum (LM, 2014).
Prologue
List of Figures and Tables

1 The Making and Unmaking of Islam in Museums: An Introduction
 1 Colonial Collections
 2 Islamic Objects and Dutch Imperialism
 3 Approaching Objects
 4 Frames and Framings
 5 Outline of the Book

Part 1: Sources and Foundations


2 Analysing Museum Holdings from Indonesia
 1 Collecting Islam in Colonial Indonesia
 2 Analysis of the Collections from Muslim Indonesia in the Netherlands
 3 Looking Through the Lens of the Islamic

3 Collecting in Java and Aceh
 1 Collecting in Java
 2 Collecting in Aceh
 3 Memories of Collecting

4 Collecting Islamic Objects: Manuscripts and Gravestones
 1 Manuscripts: Communal Knowledge and Colonial Intelligence
 2 Gravestones: Sources for the History of Islam

5 Collecting Islamic Objects: Hajj-Related Items and Amulets
 1 Hajj Objects: between Benevolence and Surveillance
 2 Amulets: Taking Away Islamic Protection
 3 (Un)making the Memory of Islam

Part 2: Organising the Material Archive


6 Taxonomies: Nineteenth-Century Collections and Museum Narratives of Islam
 1 Categorising Islamic Things
 2 Separating ‘Europe’ from ‘Islam’: the Royal Cabinet of Curiosities
 3 Separating ‘Europe’ from ‘Islam’: the Museum of Antiquities
 4 The Consequences of Worlds Apart
 5 Taxonomic Durabilities

7 Making Classification: Indonesian Islam in the Museum Catalogue
 1 Classification and Museum Practice
 2 Histories of Classification: the Twelve-Group Model
 3 Classification and Framings of Islam
 4 Durabilities of Classification

Part 3: Narratives of Indonesian Islam


8 New Imaginings of Indonesian Islamic Art
 1 Framings of Muslim Things
 2 Exhibitionary Framings
 3 Deframing and Reframing Indonesian Things

9 Conclusion: Reorganising the Memory of Islam in the Museum
 1 Islam, Memory and the Museum
 2 A Structural Injustice Approach to Islamic Collections
Appendix 1: List of Consulted Archives
Appendix 2: List of Dutch Museums and Collections
References
Index
  • Collapse
  • Expand

Manufacturer information:
Koninklijke Brill B.V. 
Plantijnstraat 2
2321 JC
Leiden / The Netherlands
productsafety@degruyterbrill.com