Article
French
ID: <
10.3406/hista.2007.3180>
·
DOI: <
10.3406/hista.2007.3180>
Abstract
The Museum Between Missiology and Anthropology Very early on the debate surrounding the evangelization of non-Christian populations revolved around anthropological concerns. At the end of the nineteenth century, the expansion of mission work overseas and the developmental difficulties confronting the propagation of the Christian faith brought about a more committed position. This in turn necessitated more study and a deeper understanding of the new populations encountered and of material cultures. This is exactly the same time that anthropology as a cultural, social and scientific discipline appeared first in the United States then in Europe. Within this emerging anthropological field, certain religious figures - notably Wilhelm Schmidt who founded the journal Anthropos in 1906 - made their mark with groundbreaking work. Museums became an integral part of the missionaries’ anthropological approach and their broader understanding of non-Western cultures. By studying the missionary museums of Lyon and Rome, this article analyzes the links between missiology and anthropology. Figures such as Wilhelm Schmidt (Lateran Museum) and Francis Aupiais (Société des Missions Africaines, Lyon) highlight the complex nature of the ties between missiology and museums as institutions. An analysis of these tangled links will hopefully shed new light on the types of knowledge proposed by missionary museums.