A contemplation of the hotly-debated significance - and future - of anthropology museums, from a global expert

A TLS BEST BOOK OF 2023 'A formidable work' Nigel Barley, author of The Innocent Anthropologist 'Should be required reading' Richard Lambert, Financial Times 'A magnificent, moving survey' Felipe Fernández-Armesto, TLS This is a history of the ways in which foreign and prehistoric peoples were represented in museums of anthropology, with their displays of arts and artifacts, their dioramas, their special exhibitions, and their arrays of skulls and skeletons. Originally created as colonial enterprises, what is the purpose of these places today? What should they do with the items in their custodianship? And how can they help us to understand and appreciate other cultures? Informed by a lifetime of research and scholarship, this subtle and original work tackles painful questions about race, colonialism, difference, and cultural appropriation. The result is a must-read for anyone concerned with the coexistence of different modes of life.

"A formidable work ... one whose want has been much felt. Apparently easy answers to the question of what such a museum might be and universal 'solutions' to the restitution problem are elegantly shown to be entangled in contradictions and false assumptions" - The Innocent Anthropologist

"A magnificent, moving survey ... Kuper's case is strong and his voice-erudite and elegiac-commands respect ... With erudition and good humor, he traces the histories of museums of other people since the Enlightenment" - TLS

"A provocative look at questions of ethnography, ownership and restitution ... should be required reading for the trustees of big museums everywhere" - FT

"A level-headed survey of the rise and fall of anthropological and ethnographic collections and what their futures may hold ... Kuper steers a pragmatic course through these perilous waters" - Art Newspaper

"Impressive ... Kuper doesn't shy away from contentious issues. He is alert to the ironies that pervade claims of provenance, identification, reclamation and protection" - Inside Story

"An excellent, comprehensive tour through one of the most important and influential schools of anthropological theory" - New Books Network