Authentically African: Arts and the Transnational Politics of Congolese Culture (Van Beurden)

Paula Girshick

doi:10.14434/mar.v10i2.22561

Abstract

This work is a book review considering the title Authentically African: Arts and the Transnational Politics of Congolese Culture by Sarah Van Beurden.

Highlights

This book focuses on the history of Congolese museums from early colonial rule, starting in the late 19th century, through independence in 1960 and the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1966 to 1980
Sarah Van Beurden explores museums in both Belgium and the Congo as the latter changed from colonial property to independent state and player on the international scene
She interweaves these political transformations with the impact of changes in Western classification—varying between ethnographic objects, commodities, art objects, and exemplars of national heritage—as well as their usage in promoting tribal, colonial, national, and international identities

Summary

Introduction

This book focuses on the history of Congolese museums from early colonial rule, starting in the late 19th century, through independence in 1960 and the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1966 to 1980. Sarah Van Beurden explores museums in both Belgium and the Congo as the latter changed from colonial property to independent state and player on the international scene.

Results

Conclusion