Investigation of the presentation of Ainu identity in British museums and exhibitions

The Ainu are an Indigenous group hailing from what is now considered to be Japanese and Russian territory. This thesis explores how Ainu identity is presented in British museums and exhibitions, evaluating displays and their curation. Analysing these institutions through a decolonial lens, I consider: the extent to which Ainu ontologies have shaped displays; how colonial history is presented; and current levels of Ainu-museum collaboration. Investigation based on these parameters is important because the content and framing of displays impacts perception of the Ainu, who have the right to self-definition. Co-curation can help challenge colonial legacies, but institutions often remain dominant. Museums analysed were the British Museum; National Museum of Scotland; Pitt Rivers Museum; and the Victoria and Albert Museum. I also covered two exhibitions: ‘Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River’ at Japan House and ‘Art Without Heroes: Mingei’ at William Morris Gallery. Results were derived through qualitative analysis of displays as multimodal texts, focusing particularly on labels. I also conducted semi-structured interviews with curators to discern if and how Ainu collaboration impacted displays. I found that decolonisation across institutions was uneven and incomplete. While the Ainu were unanimously presented as Indigenous, all museums eschewed discussion of colonial history and the ongoing restriction of various Indigenous rights. Both exhibitions acknowledged colonial history, but differed in their exploration of the present. At ‘Art Without Heroes’, Ainu co-curator Mayunkiki expressed pain at lingering cultural prohibitions. By contrast, the ‘Ainu Stories’ exhibition emphasised a positive view of contemporary Ainu life, motivated by both the wishes of Ainu co-curators and Japan House’s agenda. Across institutions, the level of collaboration with Ainu also varied. Each exhibition involved co-curation with Ainu, but the museums made limited to no reference to Ainu opinions. There was also a greater integration of Ainu language and perspectives at the exhibitions. Results reveal the need for updated displays developed through collaboration with multiple Ainu demographics. This data may also inform and justify decolonisation efforts. Future research should interrogate the impact of including popular media in displays, alongside the potential of non-textual modes for conveying Ainu ontologies and opinions.

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Author dc:creator

• Ferguson, Tara Jilly

Contributors dc:contributor

• MacClancy, Jeremy
• Danely, Jason
• Matsunaga, Louella

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/6ytr-gf88

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:4e1113b1-c171-40fc-8317-87bb1f198ff0:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1