A searching account of nineteenth-century salvage anthropology, an effort to preserve the culture of “vanishing” Indigenous peoples through dispossession of the very communities it was meant to protect.
In the late nineteenth century, anthropologists, linguists, archaeologists, and other chroniclers began amassing Indigenous cultural objects—crafts, clothing, images, song recordings—by the millions. Convinced that Indigenous peoples were doomed to disappear, collectors donated these objects to museums and universities that would preserve and exhibit them. Samuel Redman dives into the archive to understand what the collectors deemed the tradition of the “vanishing Indian” and what we can learn from the complex legacy of salvage anthropology.
The salvage catalog betrays a vision of Native cultures clouded by racist assumptions—a vision that had lasting consequences. The collecting practice became an engine of the American museum and significantly shaped public education and preservation, as well as popular ideas about Indigenous cultures. Prophets and Ghosts teases out the moral challenges inherent in the salvage project. Preservationists successfully maintained an important human inheritance, sometimes through collaboration with Indigenous people, but collectors’ methods also included outright theft. The resulting portrait of Indigenous culture reinforced the public’s confidence in the hierarchies of superiority and inferiority invented by “scientific” racism.
Today the same salvaged objects are sources of invaluable knowledge for researchers and museum visitors. But the question of what should be done with such collections is nonetheless urgent. Redman interviews Indigenous artists and curators, who offer fresh perspectives on the history and impact of cultural salvage, pointing to new ideas on how we might contend with a challenging inheritance.
"A must-read for anyone seeking to confront racist worldviews and make the world a better place for all." - Science
"Redman tells the grim story of decades-long elite capture of Native cultures, while the US government and expansionist industries gained control of lands and waters from sea to sea. Decolonization requires recognition of the colonization process, and Redman’s book is a landmark contribution to that effort." - American Anthropologist
"A sweeping overview of the history and continued legacy of salvage anthropology in the United States…Redman’s work connects the complex histories of these practices to their ongoing implications for museums today, offering a major contribution to how we recognize their legacies for today’s efforts to decolonize collections, repatriate objects, and forge community partnerships." - American Nineteenth Century History
"Prophets and Ghosts is a rich and eye-opening book, and Redman does not shy away from taking a hard look at the troubled and troubling legacy of salvage anthropology. It’s deeply researched, beautifully written—a real pleasure to read." - New Books Network
"Redman nuances the history of salvage anthropology…[and] recounts the stories of individual collectors, humanizing these anthropologists, Indian agents, missionaries, and Native people, while stressing the seriousness and urgency of their often-obsessive collecting practices." - Journal of Anthropological Research
"Essential…For any museum professional or anthropologist hoping to build an ethical and progress-oriented career, Prophets and Ghosts is an excellent guide to recognizing and reconciling with salvage anthropology." - Museum Studies Blog
"An engaging account of the development of salvage anthropology in the United States during the nineteenth century…[Redman] does not shy away from the darker side of early acquisitions of Indigenous people’s culture in American museums." - Fwd: Museums Journal
"Illuminating…Prophets and Ghosts would be a suitable introduction for many, and any of the individual chapters would provide a good background of where salvage anthropology came from…and where it could go." - Journal of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
"Prophets and Ghosts is [Redman’s] latest work to examine the intersection between the history of museums and the rise of anthropology as a discipline…He argues that even with the problems inherent in early museums’ efforts to understand race and ‘primitive’ civilizations, their attempts ultimately produced some unexpected and surprising results." - Journal of American History
Формат: Скан PDf
In the late nineteenth century, anthropologists, linguists, archaeologists, and other chroniclers began amassing Indigenous cultural objects—crafts, clothing, images, song recordings—by the millions. Convinced that Indigenous peoples were doomed to disappear, collectors donated these objects to museums and universities that would preserve and exhibit them. Samuel Redman dives into the archive to understand what the collectors deemed the tradition of the “vanishing Indian” and what we can learn from the complex legacy of salvage anthropology.
The salvage catalog betrays a vision of Native cultures clouded by racist assumptions—a vision that had lasting consequences. The collecting practice became an engine of the American museum and significantly shaped public education and preservation, as well as popular ideas about Indigenous cultures. Prophets and Ghosts teases out the moral challenges inherent in the salvage project. Preservationists successfully maintained an important human inheritance, sometimes through collaboration with Indigenous people, but collectors’ methods also included outright theft. The resulting portrait of Indigenous culture reinforced the public’s confidence in the hierarchies of superiority and inferiority invented by “scientific” racism.
Today the same salvaged objects are sources of invaluable knowledge for researchers and museum visitors. But the question of what should be done with such collections is nonetheless urgent. Redman interviews Indigenous artists and curators, who offer fresh perspectives on the history and impact of cultural salvage, pointing to new ideas on how we might contend with a challenging inheritance.
"A must-read for anyone seeking to confront racist worldviews and make the world a better place for all." - Science
"Redman tells the grim story of decades-long elite capture of Native cultures, while the US government and expansionist industries gained control of lands and waters from sea to sea. Decolonization requires recognition of the colonization process, and Redman’s book is a landmark contribution to that effort." - American Anthropologist
"A sweeping overview of the history and continued legacy of salvage anthropology in the United States…Redman’s work connects the complex histories of these practices to their ongoing implications for museums today, offering a major contribution to how we recognize their legacies for today’s efforts to decolonize collections, repatriate objects, and forge community partnerships." - American Nineteenth Century History
"Prophets and Ghosts is a rich and eye-opening book, and Redman does not shy away from taking a hard look at the troubled and troubling legacy of salvage anthropology. It’s deeply researched, beautifully written—a real pleasure to read." - New Books Network
"Redman nuances the history of salvage anthropology…[and] recounts the stories of individual collectors, humanizing these anthropologists, Indian agents, missionaries, and Native people, while stressing the seriousness and urgency of their often-obsessive collecting practices." - Journal of Anthropological Research
"Essential…For any museum professional or anthropologist hoping to build an ethical and progress-oriented career, Prophets and Ghosts is an excellent guide to recognizing and reconciling with salvage anthropology." - Museum Studies Blog
"An engaging account of the development of salvage anthropology in the United States during the nineteenth century…[Redman] does not shy away from the darker side of early acquisitions of Indigenous people’s culture in American museums." - Fwd: Museums Journal
"Illuminating…Prophets and Ghosts would be a suitable introduction for many, and any of the individual chapters would provide a good background of where salvage anthropology came from…and where it could go." - Journal of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
"Prophets and Ghosts is [Redman’s] latest work to examine the intersection between the history of museums and the rise of anthropology as a discipline…He argues that even with the problems inherent in early museums’ efforts to understand race and ‘primitive’ civilizations, their attempts ultimately produced some unexpected and surprising results." - Journal of American History
Формат: Скан PDf
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