Caribbean archaeological collections in European museums: an overview

Summary

This presentation will discuss the partial results of the research project “Caribbean Collections at European Museums: Historical Processes and Contemporary Practices”, carried out in collaboration with André Delpuech (Musée du quai Branly). The project is part of the ERC-Synergy project NEXUS1492: New World Encounters in a Globalizing World. Although there is a wealth of scientific literature on Caribbean pre-colonial art, so far there is no comprehensive catalogue or inventory of archaeological Caribbean collections in Europe. Therefore, this project aims at identifying such collections and understanding the collecting, spreading and presentation of Caribbean archaeology in Europe. This presentation will give an overview of such collections located so far in public and private museums in the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Portugal. They include assemblages large and small, from the well-known ‘Taíno’ historical masterpieces to unknown collections excavated by geologists in the Lesser Antilles counting hundreds of shards and fragments. The aim of this presentation is to provide empirical data from which we can derive broader theoretical questions about the history of archaeology as well as the role of museums in the ownership and conservation of archaeological heritage, in particular in regards to the Caribbean.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Caribbean Archaeological Collections: History, Museums, and Politics

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