In the past, museums often changed the meaning of icons or statues of deities from sacred to aesthetic, or used them to declare the superiority of Western society, or simply as cultural and historical evidence. The last generation has seen faith groups demanding to control 'their' objects, and curators recognising that objects can only be understood within their original religious context. In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in the role religion plays in museums, with major exhibitions highlighting the religious as well as the historical nature of objects.Using examples from all over the world, Religious Objects in Museums is the first book to examine how religious objects are transformed when they enter the museum, and how they affect curators and visitors. It examines the full range of meanings that religious objects may bear - as scientific specimen, sacred icon, work of art, or historical record. Showing how objects may be used to argue a point, tell a story or promote a cause, may be worshipped, ignored, or seen as dangerous or unlucky, this highly accessible book is an essential introduction to the subject.
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In the past, museums often changed the meaning of icons or statues of deities from sacred to aesthetic, or used them to declare the superiority of Western society, or simply as cultural and historical evidence.
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IntroductionObjects CuratedObjects VisitedObjects Worshipped and WorshippingObjects ClaimedObjects RespectedObjects Demanding and DangerousObjects ElevatingObjects MilitantObjects PromotionalObjects Explanatory and EvidentialConclusionNotesReferences
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"The author takes his readers on a magical world tour of tangible things that were once-and in some cases still are-used in a huge variety of religious settings. With a cosmopolitan lightness of touch, Paine demonstrates the radical instability of such things, even once they have found their way into museums. They do not have a single meaning or use, but are almost infinitely adaptable. Above all, he deftly shows that the ""distinction between ‘religious' and ‘mundane' is a curious modern Western idea, incomprehensible to most people at most times."" No other book introduces readers more engagingly to the puzzles surrounding how museums address the sacred realm worldwide. - Ivan Gaskell, Professor of Cultural History, and of Museum Studies, Bard Graduate Center, New York City This excellent study of museum exhibitions of religiously significant objects provides an illuminating overview of the issues and challenges arising from such exhibitions…Crispin Paine’s book is a welcome new resource and will appeal to all who seek to understand the material dimensions of religious activity. - Journal of the American Academy of Religion - Bruce M. Sullivan, Northern Arizona University"
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This book provides the first concise, comprehensive overview of all the key issues surrounding a hotly debated topic: the presentation and inclusion of religious objects in museums.
Provides students with an ideal way into debates on religious expression, colonialism and the appropriation of sacred objects, secularism and objectivity, and the changing meaning objects

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781847887733
Publisert
2013-01-31
Utgiver
Vendor
Berg Publishers
Vekt
280 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
U, G, 05, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
192

Forfatter

Biographical note

Crispin Paine is Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, UK.