Vanuatu, France and the United Kingdom: museum collections and colonial dynamics

Lopes, Laetitia (2024) Vanuatu, France and the United Kingdom: museum collections and colonial dynamics. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This PhD project examines ‘ethnographic’ collections of artefacts from Vanuatu, acquired in a colonial context and now held in museum institutions in France and the UK. It explores the complex narratives and agencies embodied in these artefacts by reframing the approach from artefacts as ‘representations’ of the ‘other’ to a representation of 'us' in relation to ‘others’. By considering artefacts as historical sources, the study aims to approach the multiple narratives and complex processes that shape their biographies.

To this end, the research adopts an interdisciplinary approach, combining different analytical tools, theoretical perspectives and methodologies, and considering artefacts not as isolated collections, but as part of assemblages composed of textual materials, photographs, and other sources. A comparative analysis of collections in France and the United Kingdom, the two former colonial nations in Vanuatu, is undertaken, focusing on the types of collectors and objects, while situating them within broader historical and colonial contexts. The research examines museum artefacts in relation to French and British colonial activities in Vanuatu, identifies different patterns of artefact acquisition, and explores how local tensions influenced the movement of artefacts that eventually found their way into museum institutions. By analysing the assemblages of individuals operating in the archipelago during periods of colonial instability, the study uncovers the complex and intertwined narratives embedded in European collections.

Furthermore, the research emphasises the dynamic nature of these artefacts, recognising them as central to negotiations between ni-Vanuatu and European actors. The findings herein highlight the multi-layered nature of agency within museum collections and contribute to a rethinking of approaches to ethnographic collections, that recognise the agency of Indigenous communities in shaping museum collections.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Art, Media and American Studies (former - to 2024)
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	01 Dec 2025 09:44
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2025 09:44
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101156
DOI:

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