‘Found in store’: Working with source communities and difficult objects at Durham University’s Oriental Museum

Abstract

• Rachel Barclay Lauren Barnes Gillian Ramsay Craig Barclay Helen Armstrong Durham University’s Oriental Museum is often described as a ‘hidden gem’. Opened in 1960, today it is home to world-class collections of more than 35,000 objects from across North Africa and Asia. Originally envisioned as a teaching and research resource for the university’s School of Oriental Studies, the museum now combines its academic role with a commitment to making its collections accessible to local, national and international communities. The Museum’s mid-twentieth-century origins do not mean that its collections have escaped the influence of Empire and colonialism. This should come as no surprise, as many of the objects held by the museum were collected either during the nineteenth century or the early years of the twentieth century.