The British Museum in Print

Abstract

This chapter presents a critical discourse analysis to examine the museum's representation of itself in its catalogues and guides. Critical discourse analysis of text produced by the British Museum gives access to the institution, its intentions and purposes; it is an area little explored. The 'Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums' was a response to growing pressures for the restitution of material culture from the institutions, and the British Museum, the home of so much of the world's great culture was prominent amongst the signatories. The chapter explores how these claims for universal rather than national status have been made by the British Museum in its various publications. Printed materials of this nature provide a rich and largely overlooked source of data for understanding national museums and their self-portrayal. Within the field of cultural globalisation, museums and nations can be presented as equal partners.