‘World cultures’ in the North: histories of representation in National Museums Northern Ireland

This paper describes collecting activities that led to what is now the ‘World Cultures’ collection in National Museums NI and its institutional precursors. Through a case study of a canoe from the Solomon Islands, it considers how the partition of Ireland and establishment of Northern Ireland shifted interpretations of the collection. The paper argues that, during the twentieth century including the period of the Troubles, the Ulster Museum responded to its position within Northern Ireland, and to the preferences of local audiences, through a focus on local narratives and by emphasising local biographies. Simultaneously, the institution responded to local political unrest by de-emphasising the fact that that these collections are legacies of British imperialism and colonialism. Discussing recent statements from National Museums NI about how it is framing its collections in the light of the decolonisation movement, the paper concludes by considering ways of engaging contemporary communities in Northern Ireland with colonial and imperial collections; and the need to transparently acknowledge the colonial past.