Artifacts and Allegiances: How Museums Put the Nation and the World on Display

Sociologist (Wellesley Coll.) and author Levitt examines how museums worldwide are making sense of the trends of immigration and globalization. She asks and attempts to answer questions related to how these institutions are influenced by and continue to form city, state, national, and transnational contexts. While many museums have constructed ideas about nations in the past, today they are noted for collecting, preserving, and displaying objects created by peoples from diverse cultures. In response to changes and trends in constituencies, demographics, immigration, and globalization, many museums are reformulating their missions, redesigning their galleries and exhibitions, and rethinking their architectures, roles, practices, staffing patterns, etc. Basing her findings on historical research, conversations with directors, curators, and policymakers, descriptions of current and future exhibitions, and inside stories about famous paintings and iconic objects, the author reexamines how museums shape citizens and represent the diversity of cities, states, and nations. Case studies compare museums in Europe, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.