Leiden University Scholarly Publications

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Alvarez, A.V. (2021)

From closed museum spaces to inclusive cultural meeting points: connecting indigenous heritage collections and communities in the Dominican Republic

Doctoral Thesis
As museums face more scrutiny and are being demanded to decolonize, there are opportunities for Dominican museums to adopt a critical perspective and turn their collections and exhibitions into connections to our cultural past, present, and future. Nevertheless, specific research on archaeological collections in the Dominican Republic, the earliest hub of the European invasion, conquest, and colonization of the New World, has been scarce. This qualitative study explored how communities can be engaged to critically analyze museum narratives that perpetuate colonial ideas of Caribbean Indigenous extinction, which contribute to a disconnection from Indigenous heritage collections. Findings suggest opportunities for connections by improving access through the design of education and exhibition initiatives and the representation of cultural practices in ways that are important to the communities. This study provides future scholars with practical suggestions for designing community...Show moreAs museums face more scrutiny and are being demanded to decolonize, there are opportunities for Dominican museums to adopt a critical perspective and turn their collections and exhibitions into connections to our cultural past, present, and future. Nevertheless, specific research on archaeological collections in the Dominican Republic, the earliest hub of the European invasion, conquest, and colonization of the New World, has been scarce. This qualitative study explored how communities can be engaged to critically analyze museum narratives that perpetuate colonial ideas of Caribbean Indigenous extinction, which contribute to a disconnection from Indigenous heritage collections. Findings suggest opportunities for connections by improving access through the design of education and exhibition initiatives and the representation of cultural practices in ways that are important to the communities. This study provides future scholars with practical suggestions for designing community connections with Indigenous heritage institutions while creating multi-vocal engagements and inclusive meeting points for cultural self-determination.
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Indigenous heritage of the Caribbean
Critical museology
Community engagement
History of Caribbean museums
Multivocality
Decolonization
All authors
Alvarez, A.V.
Supervisor
Hofman, C.L.
Co-supervisor
De Campos Françozo, M.; Ulloa Hung, J.
Committee
Kolen, J.C.A.; Jansen, M.E.R.G.N.; Keurs, P.J. ter; Berard, B.; Flores Sasso, V.; Berger, M.E.
Qualification
Doctor (dr.)
Awarding Institution
Department of World Archaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University
Date
2021-12-08

Funding

Sponsorship
This research has been funded by the KNAW-Meriam Prize for female scientists awarded to Prof. dr. Corinne L. Hofman in 2013 (Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences). It has also received support from the ERC-Synergy Nexus 1492 project financed by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement n° 319209.