Symposium: What is Authenticity?
On 30 November, the symposium entitled What is Authenticity? Questions of authenticity and authentication in ethnographic museums will take place in the National Museum of Ethnology (NME), in Leiden. The symposium is organized to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the museum. Several staff members of Leiden University are invited to speak.
The morning session will focus on ‘authenticity’ as a concept and as a theoretical issue. What does authenticity mean in the context of an ethnological museum and within the study of anthropology? Does this concept of ‘authenticity’ differs from the way the concept is used in art history and art museums? And does the concept of ‘authenticity’ have any value when we speak of ‘intangible heritage’? Prof. Rosemary Joyce (UC Berkeley), Prof. Sally Price (College of William and Mary) and Dr. Wim van Zanten (Leiden University/UNESCO) will discuss these and other questions in their lectures. The afternoon session will focus more on case studies. Prof. Oliver Watson (University of Oxford) will talk about two iconic medieval Islamic objects, Dr. Cristiana Panella (KMMA, Tervuren) will discuss the concept of authenticity in the context of international trade in Malinese terracotta’s, Drs. Francien Brinkgreve (RMV) will give a lecture on the authentication problem of some pieces from the Liefkes collection of the RMV and Martin Berger MPhil (RMV) will present recent research on the Mixteca-Puebla decorated skulls from the collection of the RMV.
Program
10.00 – 10.05: Welcome by Stijn Schoonderwoerd (Director, National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden)
Theory session
10.05 – 10.15: Introduction by Dr. Alexander Geurds (Leiden University)
10.15 – 10.45: Dr. Wim van Zanten (Leiden University/UNESCO)
“Living Culture and the concept of authenticity in UNESCO world heritage conventions”
10.45 – 11.15: Prof. Dr. Sally Price (College of William and Mary)
“Alternative Authenticities”
11.15 – 11.30: Coffee
11.30 – 12.00: Prof. Dr. Rosemary Joyce (University of California, Berkeley)
“When is authentic? Situating authenticity in the itineraries of objects”
12.00 – 12.30: Discussion
12.30 – 14.00: Lunch
Case studies session
14.00 – 14.10: Introduction by Dr. Laura van Broekhoven (NME/Leiden University)
14.10 – 14.35: Prof. Dr. Oliver Watson (University of Oxford)
“Real to Fake and Back: differing fates of two Islamic objects.”
14.35 – 15.00: Dr. Cristiana Panella (Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren)
“The social life of (plundered) things. Opacity and transparency of museums’ policies.”
15.00 – 15.10: Coffee
15.10 – 15.35: Drs. Francien Brinkgreve (NME, Leiden)
“Studying the authenticity of Indonesian pieces: the Fritz Liefkes collection at the National Museum of Ethnology.”
15.35 – 15.55: Martin Berger MPhil (NME, Leiden)
“Is it real until proven fake or vice versa? Studying the authenticity of Mixteca-Puebla decorated skulls.”
16.00 – 17.00: Panel discussion, led by Dr. Mariana Françozo (NME, Leiden)
- MUSEUM VOLKENKUNDE