Decolonizing the American History Museum: A Case Study of the Henry Ford

Decolonizing the American History Museum: A Case Study of the Henry Ford

Presenter(s)

Victoria Lynne Brey

Comments

Presentation: 9:30-11:00, Kennedy Union 331

Description

In this paper, I consider the origins and practice of decolonization in American museums, using the Henry Ford, an American history museum in Dearborn, MI, as a case study and situating it within the broader narrative of museum decolonization. I analyze the ways in which museums have historically presented very limited subjectivities to the public that assume a white male (often European, often colonizing) subjectivity as neutral and normative. I then consider the formation of the Henry Ford and the ways in which it broke with as well as fit into the dominant structure of museums as perpetuators of colonialism at its inception. I briefly discuss the history of the museum from its beginning until today, considering the ways in which it has or has not changed to incorporate more diverse subjectivities. I conclude by considering the contemporary efforts of the museum to engage with decolonization, offering insight into the operations of a world-renowned museum.

Publication Date

4-17-2024

Project Designation

Capstone Project

Primary Advisor

Judith L. Huacuja

Primary Advisor's Department

Art and Design

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Critical Evaluation of Our Times; Diversity; Scholarship

Decolonizing the American History Museum: A Case Study of the Henry Ford

Share

COinS