Re-framing photographic archives: archaeology and colonial Cyprus

Stylianou-Lambert, Theopisti and Heraclidou, Antigone (2024) Re-framing photographic archives: archaeology and colonial Cyprus. GreeSE Papers: Hellenic Observatory Discussion Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe (201). Hellenic Observatory, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

Text (GreeSE- No201) - Published Version Download (2MB)

• Publisher

Abstract

This paper critically examines colonial-era photographic archives related to Cypriot archaeology maintained by museums and other collecting institutions in the UK and in Cyprus. It investigates how these archives can be decolonialised or re-framed. The institutions chosen as case studies are the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the Institute of Archaeology at Oxford University, and the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. The examined archives were created in Cyprus by Western officials, explorers, and archaeologists: Falkland Warren, J.A.R. Munro, John Linton Myres, Luigi Palma di Cesnola, and Max and Magda Ohnefalsch-Richter. As a result, the photographs reflect the colonial attitudes of their creators and the power relations entrenched in archaeological work at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries in Cyprus. The paper explores colonial marks, examines the case study institutions’ decolonisation strategies (if any), and suggests seven strategies for museums interested in reframing colonial-era photographic archives.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://www.lse.ac.uk/hellenic-observatory/publica...
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Authors
Divisions:	Hellenic Observatory
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CD Diplomatics. Archives. Seals > CD921 Archives A General Works > AM Museums (General). Collectors and collecting (General) J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration
Date Deposited:	10 Oct 2024 15:03
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 19:55
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/125689

Actions (login required)

View Item