Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Christina F. Kreps

Second Advisor

Tamra d'Estree

Third Advisor

Alejandro Cerón

Keywords

Anthropology, Decolonization, Human rights, Indigenous rights, Museums

Abstract

Focusing on the representation of Indigenous human rights at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, this study examines how museums can represent, educate, and advocate for Indigenous human rights. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out at the museum in July 2019 and the literature on anthropology and human rights, decolonizing museum practices, and museums as spaces for human rights dialogue. The study shows how museums can change their history of racist and inaccurate representation of Indigenous people. Through extensive and “deep collaboration” between Indigenous partners and museum staff, Indigenous culture, history, and rights can be portrayed more accurately, ethically, and meaningfully. CMHR staff work closely with Indigenous partners to present personal accounts of Indigenous rights struggles and experiences as part of Canadian shared history. The thesis provides a case study of possible approaches to the representation of Indigenous human rights in museums.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

Rights holder

Madison Caroline Dillard

File size

159 p.

File format

application/pdf

Language

en

Discipline

Cultural anthropology, Museum studies, Native American studies

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