The Role Museums Played and Are Playing with Regard to the Idea of Collective and Cultural Memory - Essay Example

? Characterise the role museums and galleries are and were playing concerning the idea of cultural and collective memory. How has this idea changed over the time? Introduction This paper looks into the role museums played and are playing with regard to the idea of collective and cultural memory. The paper will explore how these two forms of memory have contributed to the spread of cultural and collective memory. In addition, the paper will examine how the ideas of cultural and collective memory have changed over time. The paper begins with an explanation of the meanings of both cultural and collective memory and proceeds to tell the differences between these two forms of memory. Throughout the discussion, the paper will present examples of the earliest museums in ancient Egypt, as well as modern museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Small and large museums will also be discussed with regard to how they differ when it comes to these topics. Cultural memory Cultural memories refer to social constructions about the past, which play the role of enhancing people in the society to have knowledge of the events that have taken place over time. The study of cultural memories has brought attracted the involvement of various disciplines and field in the study of culture. Through cultural memory, the geological questions regarding the landscapes, places, as well as spaces has gained immense popularity throughout the world. Cultural memories have advanced from the ancient times to the present times through various changes that have taken place with regard to a culture’s interpretation of cultural memory (Hooper-Greenhill 2007, p.7). Collective memory Collective memory refers to a system based on symbols, signs, as well as certain practices and beliefs that play a crucial role in memory remembrance. Based on collective memory, social phenomenon encompasses such actions as remembrance. With regard to collective memory, individual memory plays the role of making meaning of symbols, signs, practices. Collective memory is also based on the belief that people tend to have the collective ability to remember, as well as forget about some crucial components of their culture. The components of culture that all people remember or forget tend to be classified as similar; they form part of the collective memory (Hooper-Greenhill 2007, p.8). The differences between cultural and collective memory There are differences that exist between cultural and collective memory. The main difference between cultural and collective memory is that cultural memory is based on the past while collective memory tends to be based even in the present. In the collective memory, people may forget some past aspects of their culture while this is not the case in cultural memory. Cultural memory reconstructs the past and lets people have an understanding of how their past culture used to be like. Collective memory encompasses a wide array of the cultural artefacts of a community while cultural memory only encompasses few artefacts. While cultural memory focuses on the cultural values shared within a culture, collective memory describes the values, norms, ideals, as well as customs that a society shares with another society (Walsh 2002, p.13). The role of museums and galleries with regard concerning the idea of collective and cultural memory Museums and galleries play a crucial role in providing essential information that can be used to categorise a certain culture. Over the years, cultural and collective memory has been based on the role that museums play in spreading this form of memory. Through museums and galleries, people have an opportunity to remember the past and gain insights about what took place in some parts. The variety of materials and artefacts displayed in galleries play a crucial role in spreading the culture of a group of people. There are a number of ways in which museums help in spreading the ideas of cultural and collective memory. First, museums help people come face to face with the things that can only be seen in books, or in the media such as movies and newspapers. For example, through museums, it has become possible to reconstruct memory and have an understanding of some cultural features such as the Mona Lisa. Museums provide people with an opportunity to have a comprehensive perception of cultural images that are displayed in the museums (Tony 2004, p.18). The other role played by museums and galleries with regard to the ideas of cultural and collective memory includes the educative role of the museums and galleries. For example, through museums and galleries, people get to have a glance of what they have been taught in schools. This is because museums provide people with an opportunity to see paintings, as well as artefacts that they learn about in the classroom. Students have had the opportunity to attend exhibitions held in galleries; these exhibitions help in instilling the cultural values that relate to collective and cultural memory. Museums and galleries can also be regarded as significant when it comes to creativity. Ideas of cultural and collective memory tend to be widely displayed in art galleries, as well as exhibitions (Moser 2010, p. 23). The other crucial role of museums and galleries in spreading the idea of cultural and collective memory entails contribution to research. Most research projects in the field of anthropology and history depend a lot on museums and galleries. Most people undertaking research in these fields find museums valuable sources of information. This emanates from the fact that museums are rich sources of information since one can have access to archives. With the materials displayed in the museums, scholars have had an easy time to learn about cultural and collective memory (Moser 2010, p. 25). The other role of museums and galleries with regard to the idea of cultural and collective memory is they help in preserving anthropological records, which inform the cultural and collective memory. For example, in the United States, museums can be regarded as a significant anthropological resource. Documentary materials have always been preserved in museums; these materials can be used by the futures generations and they are of immense benefit to the current generation. Museums also provide collections of ethnographic records; these records provide a rich cultural and collective history. Other crucial documents that display the idea of cultural and collective memory in museums include collections that encompass textual history, oral history, as well as collections kept in video and films (Moser 2003, p.4). Museums and galleries also help in spreading the idea of cultural and collective memory since they help people to learn about ideas that relate to art, history, as well as folklore of various groups of people. In particular, museums can be regarded as buildings that treasure and keep records that are associated with people. The diverse and rich knowledge disseminated by museums play a crucial role in helping people learn about their past, their present, and the unique characteristics that relate to their culture. All aspects of cultural history and cultural life of a group of people can be learnt in museums (Hein 2000, p.31). Museums also help in teaching about the ideas of cultural and collective memory since they display photographs and manuscripts of the past. Galleries and museums always display photographs of the past that show the activities that people used to carry out in their daily lives. The notions of cultural and collective memory can also be well explained with regard to the materials stored in ancient museums in Egypt, as well as the materials displayed in modern museums in other parts of the world. In Egypt, ancient museums have played a crucial role in disseminating knowledge, which can be used to explain the collective and collective memory. An example of the museum in Egypt is the Egyptian Museum that can be found in Cairo. This Museum has a collection of various materials, which have been instrumental in spreading the culture of the Egyptian people (Crooke 2007, p.31). The collection of materials in the Egyptian Museum came to being during the 19th century. The objects in the previous museum had to be moved to Ismail Pasha’s palace situated in Giza. Later on, the materials had to be transferred to the building that currently houses the museum in Tahrir Square. The Egyptian Museum consists of 107 halls, all of which have artefacts filled in them. The artefacts in these halls encompass the materials of the prehistoric period to the artefacts of the Roman period. Most of the collections and artefacts found in this museum relate to the pharanoic era. The objects in the museum provide a rich history of Egypt since they cover about 5000 years of the Egyptian past (Carbonell 2004, p.3). The classification of materials in the Egyptian Museum takes a chronological sequence since the materials have been grouped into various categories. The museum also contains some exhibits that include Tutankhamun treasures, statutes that portray divinity, as well as Portraits that display Faiyum. The Museum also consists of mummies; this explains the past of the Egyptian people and provides a comprehensive view of the memories that used to be shared among people in the Egyptian culture. The ancient Museums in Egypt also helps people to learn the significant role played by the divine presence. Through the museums, one can learn that divine presence was a central aspect of the Egyptian culture (Henning 2006, p.61). Museums help people to learn how divinities used to demonstrate immense power, as well as the ways in which they used to manifest themselves in ancient Egypt. Upon taking a tour of the ancient Egyptian Museums, one gains an understanding of the ancient gods that the Egyptian people worshipped. In addition, one knows the meaning of each of the gods and the different ways in which people could differentiate between the gods (Corsane 2005, p.25). Ancient Egyptian museums significantly contribute to the understanding of the meanings attached to some aspects of life during a certain time periods. For example, Egyptian museums provide an understanding of the meaning attached to food during the era of Pharanoic civilisation. This era details the period when Egypt underwent civilisation to intensify the rule of pharaohs. Through taking a visit of the Egyptian Museum, one can learn what people used to eat during this civilisation. These visits also give insights into what was preserved for pharaoh so that he could eat after he died (Classen & Howes 2006, p. 120). Museums also help in exploring the social identity of a group; through museums and galleries, people have an opportunity to understand the collective past of certain groups. In addition, museums and galleries also help people to memorise the collective past. This can be seen in the various narratives that can be seen in museums, which can be presented to the natives of a country, as well as visitors from the outside (Alexander 1996, p.20). Museums and galleries also act as custodians of the heritage of culture. The cultural and collective memory of these cultures can easily be understood with regard to the public communication role played by museums and galleries. Museums and galleries also spread the notions of cultural and collective memory through their explanations of the achievements that a culture has made. Through the materials and artefacts stored in museums and public galleries, people can learn of the achievements that the various cultures have had over time (Alexander 1996, p.21). Cultural and collective memories are also spread through museums and galleries since people develop cultural identity by viewing the materials displayed in the museums and galleries. Since people learn about their culture, values, beliefs, and norms, they tend to identify with their forefathers and ancestors. As a result, they can develop some pride in their culture because they get to know of the various activities that dominate their culture. Large and small museums tend to differ with regard to how they address the issues of collective and cultural memory. Large museums provide a deeper understanding of collective memory than small museums. This is because large museums tend to have more artefacts and materials than small museums. In addition, there is a variety of artefacts stored in large museums as compared to small museums. Moreover, private collections provide a comprehensive understanding of the collective and cultural memory than public collections. This emanates from the fact that private collections are more dedicated to displaying cultural and collective memory (Alberti 2005, p. 564). Metropolitan Museum of art in New York also helps in spreading the ideas of collective and cultural memory. The museum has a collection of artwork and artefacts that express the cultural heritage of the American people, as well as the cultures of people from other parts of the world. For instance, the museum has artefacts such as Roman Statues, Rembrandt Paintings, Tiffany Stained Glass, as well as Ancient Vases from Egypt. The collections in the museum help in spreading the ideas of cultural and collective memory in a number of ways. First, the collections in the museum provide an understanding of the diverse artefacts since it represents the geographic origin of the artefacts and their respective ages. For example, the collection of Egyptian artworks comprises of works from 300, 000 B.C., as well as works of the 4th century A.D. In the museum, there are other collections that provide an understanding of the Egyptian culture, and they include modern art styles, as well as musical instruments. The galleries in the museum also provide a rich array of history of the Romans. In this regard, it can be argued that this museum plays a central role in spreading the notions of cultural and collective memory (Alberti 2005, p. 564). The number of visitors who tour the Metropolitan Museum is an indication of the huge role that the Museum plays in representing cultural and collective memory. Every year, the museum receives approximately five million visitors, which is remarkably high as compared to any other tourist attraction site in the United States. The entire collection in the museum consists of thousands of artefacts that cannot be viewed in a single day (Walsh 2002, p. 15). Over the years, the idea of collective and cultural memory has undergone numerous changes. The changes witnessed have revolutionalised this idea and brought the need for a deep and comprehensive understanding of this idea. One of the ways in which this idea has changed over time includes the changes that have taken place with regard to collections. In the past, collection was left to the princes, scholars, as well as apothecaries. This has changed in the present times; collection has become a multidisciplinary aspect that can be addressed from various fields. The role of museums has also witnessed tremendous changes in the modern times. Unlike the past, when museums only used to document information about the past, in the contemporary society, museums tends to document materials that relate to the present cultures (Dibley 2005, p.5). This idea has also changed since museums in the current times tend to document information that explains the ordinary life of people. As a result, museums have been remarkably instrumental in coming up with social constructs of people. Museums have also advanced to be all-inclusive in that they also document some of the artefacts that a culture may have acquired from another culture. Presently, the management of museums and materials that have to be displayed in these museums have attracted a lot of controversy owing to the politics that guide museum management. National governments have come up with policies that provide guidelines on how museums should be run. As a result, this has altered the ways in which the public gets access to the contents of the museum (Gray 2011, p.46). Museums have also embraced diversity with regard to the materials that will be presented in the galleries and museums. The diversity in the management of museums ensures that museums and galleries embrace an array of artworks that represent all cultures of the world (Dicks 2000, p.62). Conclusion In conclusion, cultural memories refer to social constructions about the past, which play the role of enhancing people in the society to have knowledge of the events that have taken place over time. Collective memory refers to a system based on symbols, signs, as well as certain practices and beliefs that play a crucial role in memory remembrance. The main difference between cultural and collective memory is that cultural memory is based on the past while collective memory tends to be based even in the present. Museums and galleries play a crucial role in providing essential information that can be used to categorise a certain culture. Museums also provide collections of ethnographic records; these records provide a rich cultural and collective history. Over the years, the idea of collective and cultural memory has undergone numerous changes. Collection has become a multidisciplinary aspect that can be addressed from various fields. References List Alberti, S.J. (2005). Objects and the Museum. In: Isis 96(2005)4, London, Routledge. pp. 559-571. Alexander, E.P. (1996). Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums, Walnut Creek, Altamira Pr. Pp. 20-25. Carbonell, B.M (2004). Museum studies: an anthology of contexts, Malden, MA, Blackwell. pp. 1-7. Classen, C. & Howes, D. (2006). The Museum as Sensescape: Western Sensibilities and Indigenous Artifacts. In: Edwards, E.; Gosden, C.; Phillips, R. (Eds.) (2006). Sensible objects: colonialism, museums and material culture, Oxford, Berg. pp. 199-222. Corsane, G. (2005). 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