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The Colonies in Museums

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Vestiges of the Colonial Empire in France

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Abstract

Government officials and colonial promoters were eager to hold exhibitions and set up displays to show off overseas possessions, convince the public of the merits of empire and vaunt the accomplishments of French rule. Many were temporary shows, though the Musée des Colonies in Paris and colonial museums in other cities were intended as permanent museums to an empire that was also considered permanent. Neither proved to last — the Palais de la Porte Dorée, after years of hiding its colonial heritage, has been emptied of its collections just as that colonial legacy was being appreciated, discussed and displayed anew. The establishment of colonial museums had aimed to provide vitrines of the empire around France; their evolution showed the ebb and flow of colonialist sentiment. Their fate reveals the difficulties of engaging with the colonial legacy in a post-colonial age.

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Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sydney, Australia

    Robert Aldrich

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  1. Robert Aldrich
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© 2005 Robert Aldrich

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Aldrich, R. (2005). The Colonies in Museums. In: Vestiges of the Colonial Empire in France. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230005525_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230005525_6

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-51679-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-230-00552-5

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)

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