I discovered a fascinating new blog based that connects anthropology, namely archaeology and museums – looking at the role of objects as cultural signifiers and how museums can serve their communities in preserving and displaying those objects that carry so much meaning in our worlds. As an anthropologist who studies consumer culture, I think it’s awesome to see niches like this being taught and applied in our communities. It allows us to reflect on the human-centric meaning of consumption…
For the final exam this past semester in my Museum Practices seminar for the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Memphis students wrote essays responding to the questions from one of nine themes in the paper The Future of Museums and Libraries: A Discussion Guide published in 2010 by The Institute of Museum and Library Services. Although I enjoyed reading all the essays this year, one stood out in particular. The essay below by Penny Dodds takes up the theme Shifts in Power and Authority. From a perspective that draws on the material objects and relationships from her own life history, Ms. Dodds powerfully articulates the essential engagement between communities and their museums. She has graciously allowed me to post her essay for this week’s blog as follows:
Penny Dodds
Museum Practices
December 13, 2012
Final Exam
My mother grew up the eldest of seven children…
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The Narcissistic (American) Anthropologist 
You might enjoy this essay by Lauren Thatcher Ulrich: http://scholar.harvard.edu/laurelulrich/publications/hannah-barnard’s-cupboard-female-property-and-identity-eighteenth-century-