posted on 2015-01-08, 16:01authored byMetiwala Walawwe Chulani Neranjana Kumari Rambukwella
This thesis constitutes the first critical analysis of representation in the Colombo
National Museum. It is also the first museum studies doctoral thesis to emerge from
and address Sri Lanka. In addition to outlining the historical and modern day contexts
of the Colombo National Museum, its displays are analysed in relation to Sri Lanka’s
cultural heritage and contemporary cultural diversity.
Representation of identities and histories is a complex and potentially sensitive issue in
national museums in heterogeneous societies. Displays within national institutions are
often subject to criticism as a result. Museums in Sri Lanka started with the colonial
establishment of what is now the Colombo National Museum in 1877. Moreover, the
country has a convoluted history, particularly since independence, of ethnic tensions
and civil war.
The thesis delineates the histories and distribution of ethno-cultural and religious
groups within Sri Lanka, and indicates interactions and conflicts between them. It also
summarises the history of and issues within museums in Sri Lanka.
Using a case study approach, the core of the thesis describes and analyses research
undertaken within the Colombo National Museum. A databank summarising the
numbers of objects affiliated with different Sri Lankan groups, was compiled. Object
affiliations were identified through museum ascriptions, archaeological, historical and
contemporary data, and the artefacts’ inherent characters of signification. Quantitative
analysis of this databank, together with the author’s development of the notion of
‘cultural quality’, was used to critically interpret the permanent displays, producing an
assessment of the degree of cultural representation in the museum. The objects in the
store collections are also taken into consideration when discussing the fairness of the
representation. Through the findings, the author suggests a new display framework
potentially applicable to the Colombo National Museum in order to facilitate a more
equitable representation of Sri Lanka’s heritages and cultural identities.
History
Supervisor(s)
Dudley, Sandra; Golding, Viv
Date of award
2014-11-01
Author affiliation
School of Museum Studies
Awarding institution
University of Leicester
Qualification level
Doctoral
Qualification name
PhD
Notes
The file associated with this record is under embargo until 11 November 2017.