This thesis offers a polemical and problematising critique of the modernist paradigm as utilised by British museums, through an analysis of museums' representation, lack of representation, and misrepresentation of subcultural identities, histories, and material culture. It explores the notion of museums as disciplinary apparatus and agents of governance within a hegemonic society during the so-called postmodern epoch, and questions the possibility of the emergence of what Eilean Hooper-Greenhill has called the 'post-museum', whilst the modernist paradigm remains dominant.;The positive work that a number of museums are undertaking to challenge the paradigm and become more inclusive, democratic and reflexive, is recognised within this thesis. I Britain in general however, this force for change has been limited. In this context traditions are too entrenched; thus cutting edge institutions are rarely able to make far reaching fundamental changes. It is argued that until the dominance of the modernist paradigm over museums is broken, changes that are made will remain superficial. The modernist paradigm did a worthy job but now needs to be one model amongst many.;Focusing on museums' (mis)representation of subcultures highlights the inadequacies of the modernist museum paradigm. Subcultures are analogous to postmodernism: they represent flux and fragmentation; they cross various marginalised indices; gender, race, sexuality, youth, contemporary and popular cultural; their cultures are generated in opposition to disciplinary apparatus; they are the sites of substantial adaptable knowledge bases which are outside the dominant static knowledge base. Subcultures therefore manifest the threat of the postmodernist paradigm in way that is tangible and active.;Museums are under increasing pressure to adapt and to become relevant to the present society. It is argued that if they remain incongruous to the present so-called postmodern epoch they are in danger of becoming obsolete. This critique is offered in hope that museums will evolve and survive.

DUring his lifetime, Henry Wellcome (1853-1936) amassed a substantial collection of artefacts dedicated to the understanding of the 'history of medidne and mankind' from an evolutionary perspective. In the few existing studies of this remarkable collection, the focus is generally upon Wellcome himself as the originator of the collection, and the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum in London as its principal expression. This thesis takes a different approach, in which the collection is situated in a wider set of networks and relationships which have shaped, and continue to shape, its multiple lives in different times and places. This involves tradng the entanglements of the collection within diverse cultures and networks of collecting, from its establishment in Wellcome's lifetime, through its dispersal to other sites of re-collection, up to the present day. Theoretically, the first part of the thesis draws upon recent work on cultures of collecting, on the biographies of objects and material culture, and on the spatiality of collecting and collections (chapter 1). The second part of the thesis is concerned with the acquisition and management of the collection in the establishment phase of the collection. Chapter 2 considers the role of two notable curators who worked with Wellcome during this period. Chapter 3 examines the acquisition of objects in two contrasting spaces: the auction-house and collecting in the 'field'. The third part of the thesis addresses spaces of display. Chapter 4 considers the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum in London, suggesting that it was not the straightforwardly sdentific evolutionary project that Wellcome himself envisaged. In chapter 5, the focus shifts to the transfer of objects from the Wellcome Collection in London to the Fowler Museum in UCLA, part of the dispersal of objects which took place after Wellcome's death (in this case in the 1960s). The final part of the thesis focuses spedfically on the biographies of selected objects within the Wellcome Collection; a set of Medicine Chests (chapter 6); and a group of amulets and a mask from Papua New Guinea (chapter 7). As well as highlighting the complex biographies of, and investments in, particular objects, this approach serves as a way of exploring wider aspects of the collection's multi-layered lives as these have developed over time and through space.

This thesis takes a biographical approach to the West African collections at the Manchester Museum, unravelling the historical trajectories these objects have taken through time and space. At the heart of this study are the questions of how and why objects travelled from one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. I will also examine the ways they have subsequently been used (or disused), interpreted and understood. Despite a 'culture of amnesia' (Huyssen 1995) which has meant that the majority of these objects have, until now, remained under researched in the museum stores, this thesis shows how objects in the West African collections at the Manchester Museum have dynamic and pertinent stories to tell. Most of Europe's museums and galleries were established during the nineteenth century. As such the life-histories of many of the non-Western objects in these museum collections relate to histories of colonialism and its legacy. Although some museums are beginning to examine these connections in their recently curated displays, many other institutions have avoided tackling these subjects and the questions that they raise. Objects and their meanings exist on various levels, pointing to the specific as well as to the wider contexts in which they were produced, consumed and re-articulated. In addition to this, the meanings of objects are not fixed but shift and accrue over time. Through an interrogation of their materiality, museum objects enable us to unlock these complex, interconnected and often overlooked histories. Integral to these nuances of meaning are the themes of identity, status, memory and hybridity. By piecing together the fragmented archival information which exists about the West African collections at the Manchester Museum, via the use of a database compiled by the author, it is possible to consider the ways in which these themes are linked to and resonate through, objects. Crucial to this thesis is the consideration not only of the stories which objects tell, but also the possibilities for their present and future display that these shared narratives raise. Through a series of case studies this study examines how processes connected to colonialism, trade, industry and empire effected the production of, and interactions with, material culture in specific and tangible ways. As these case studies bring to light, there is much potential to utilise a biographical approach to incorporate new perspectives, shared histories and contemporary meanings relating to these objects into museum displays. Objects actively shape the interactions which take place through and around them. In the last two chapters of this thesis I use the idea of the contact zone (Pratt 1992, Clifford 1997) to demonstrate how the West African collections at the Manchester Museum can be used to facilitate ongoing relationships within the museum today. As I assess in the conclusion, the milieu of critical self-evaluation in which this thesis is located and the growing interest in the meanings of the museum objects, is gradually being reflected in museum practice through its displays as well as its rhetoric. Within this context this thesis shows how, through a biographical approach to objects and by drawing on the contact zone perspective, the museum environment can act as a dialogic arena in which complex meanings and histories can be investigated and debated. 9

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For many, a museum visit may consist of gazing at objects locked away in glass a cabinet accompanied by signs forbidding touch, and complex and often confusing text panels. But what message does this present to the visiting public? How can the public connect with museums and their collections if objects are beyond their reach? Why is handling reserved for the museum elite and not the general public? The value of touch and object handling in museums is a growing area of research, but also one that is not yet fully understood. Despite our range of senses with which we experience the world around us, museums traditionally rely on the visual as the principle means of communicating information about the past. However museums are increasingly required to prove their worth and value in society by becoming more accessible, not just in terms of audience but by opening up their stored collections, and government agenda is pushing for culture to feature in the everyday lives of the public. This research pulls apart the hierarchical nature of touch in the museum, demonstrating the benefits of a “hands-on” approach to engaging with the past, investigating the problems and limitations associated with tactile experiences, and puts forward a toolkit for tactile access to collections. It suggests that handling museum collections, not only enhances our understanding of the past, but provides memorable and valuable experiences that will remain with an individual for life.