ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter presents an overview of the main themes explored throughout the book as well as theoretical concepts and approaches for critically examining museums and anthropology in the age of engagement. I explain the importance of taking an historical and comparative approach to the subject to understand articulations of engagement in different times and places. I provide readers with conceptual tools for untangling varied interpretations of museum anthropology, culture, collaboration, community, and decolonization. The chapter emphasizes the importance of bridging disciplinary and professional divides for advancing socially responsible, ethically informed, engaged research, scholarship and practice.
