COMP 370
Displaying, Collecting and Preserving the Other: Museums and French Imperialism
Last Offered Spring 2012
Division I
Cross-listed AFR 370 / RLFR 370
This course is not offered in the current catalog

This course will explore relationships between culture and imperialism in France by exploring how the colonial “Other” has been conceived, displayed and collected in French museums, world’s fairs and galleries from the 19th century to the present. Through readings in museum history and theory, we will explore the imperial histories of the Louvre and the Musée de l’Homme, the role of Parisian World’s Fairs in ordering the colonial world, French colonial photography and the creation a body of consumable subjects, and the discourse of collection and preservation in French colonial architecture. Drawing on museum theory, we will also critically examine contemporary Parisian museums such as the Musée du Quai Branly, the Institut du Monde Arabe and the Cité nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration. In addition to readings and discussion, the class will engage in a semester-long group project to design a new museum of French history and identity. The group will present all aspects of their museum including location, design, exhibit concept, narrative, and more. This course will be conducted in English. For students seeking RLFR credit, select readings will be in French, and written work will be in French.