Museums and the Shaping of Knowledge

I found this to be a good introduction to the history of museums and collecting, which really got at the idea of how collecting and displaying art is about far more than aesthetics. In fact, it made me re-think some of my assumptions about museums. For instance, museums have not always been seen as public places. And, as the author points out, even public museums convey someone's interpretations of the objects on view. The person who controls the museum controls the way the public thinks about art and history. It was really an eye-opening book. I don't think I'll look at museums in the same way again.

Museums And The Shaping Of Knowledge raises many questions about what a museum is and its role in society. At first the book seems excesively dependent on Foucault, and is somewhat repetitious. However, Eilean Hooper-Greenhill, is exploring new territory writing in the early 90's. In the end, her exploration comes together and produces a text that may influence museum studies for quite some time.