On Friday, April 3, 12 p.m., in 1014 Tisch Hall, the Eisenberg Institute and the Museum Studies Program present the symposium, "Museums as a Site of Knowledge-Production." This program follows the Institute's 2013-15 theme, "Materials of History." It is free and open to the public. Lunch is provided.

This symposium offers a variety of disciplinary perspectives on museums and the things they hold. Panelists will reflect on the relationship between objects and narratives directed to different audiences: source communities, museum visitors, and scholars engaged in collections-based research. Case studies, including a new cultural center in Ghana and the excavated cargo of a 13th-century trading vessel, enable panelists to trace the life cycle of objects and consider how things themselves can be productive of new knowledge.

Panelists include:

  • Amanda Respess (Ph.D. Student, Anthropology and History, University of Michigan)
  • Raymond Silverman (Professor, History of Art, Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan)
  • Carla Sinopoli (Director, Museum Studies Program; Curator of Asian Archaeology and Ethnology, Museum of Anthropology; Professor, Anthropology, University of Michigan)
  • Michelle McClellan (panel chair; Assistant Professor, History, Residential College, University of Michigan).

This event is part of the Friday Series of the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies. It is made possible by a generous contribution from Kenneth and Frances Aftel Eisenberg. Presented in partnership with the Museum Studies Program.