Our Archives
About the Archive
Spanning from MEG’s formative meetings in 1974 to the present day, this archive provides unprecedented access to the development of ethnographic museum practice in the UK. The collection includes:
- Historical correspondence between practitioners
- Minutes and proceedings from conferences and meetings
- Policy development documentation
- Early newsletters and publications
- Records of exhibitions and collections reviews
- Documentation of training initiatives and professional standards development
Together, these materials capture both formal activities and the informal networks that shaped museum ethnography in Britain.
Historical Significance
The archive traces MEG’s development into one of the UK’s first Subject Specialist Networks. It documents how museum professionals responded to changing currents in museological thought, postcolonial critique, and public engagement from the 1970s onwards.
Records show how curators working in national, university, and regional museums navigated shared challenges—from the practicalities of conservation and documentation to more fundamental questions around the ethics of collecting, interpretation, and display. The materials reflect MEG’s early efforts to establish professional standards for documentation and repatriation, while advocating for the recognition of ethnographic collections often overlooked within broader institutional priorities.
The archive also reveals MEG’s sustained engagement with wider debates around multiculturalism and representation in British museums, and its role in connecting everyday museum practice with broader intellectual, political, and social transformations.
Research Value
The archive offers invaluable resources for anyone interested in:
- The professionalisation of museum ethnography in Britain
- Changing approaches to the display and interpretation of world cultures collections
- Early debates on decolonisation and repatriation
- Development of conservation and documentation standards for ethnographic objects
- Evolving relationships with source communities and diaspora groups
- The impact of funding, policy, and societal change on museum practice
- Informal networks of knowledge exchange across institutions
These primary materials provide a historical foundation for understanding contemporary approaches to ethnographic collections and their care.
Access and Next Steps
The digital archive is currently available to MEG members via a shared drive. To request access, please contact our Archives Officer. Materials are organised in folders by decade and document type.
We are developing improved access options and will be featuring selected highlights from the archive on our blog. If you’re looking for particular topics or materials, feel free to get in touch – we’re happy to help guide your research.
We invite all MEG members and researchers to engage with this rich historical record as we continue to build on our collective knowledge and respond to the changing landscape of museum ethnography.
