Collecting

Abstract

The anthropological study of collecting involves the use of anthropological frameworks to examine the methods and practices involved in the accumulation of objects. It encompasses the history of collecting and how this has shaped the discipline of anthropology, as well as the reinterpretation of collections as cultural, political, and ideological constructs. The conceptualization of collections as social constructs involves their reexamination according to reflexive approaches that take into account the cultural and political circumstances of their creation—such as those experienced under colonialist regimes. Contributions to the anthropological study of collecting include material culture theories, representational analyses, repatriation studies, concepts of agency, and the development of collaborative, cross-cultural, and/or decolonizing methodologies.