ABSTRACT
Cultural authority involves the construction of reality through definitions of fact and value. Institutions such as the church and the academy make authoritative judgments about the nature of the world, as do museums. Museums hold a cultural authority that frames and affirms the pursuit of truth and defines what is historically and culturally significant. The rise of the market has had a significant impact on the role of the museum. In particular, in relation to this study, British cultural policy underwent a significant change in direction in the 1980s. Cultural relativism influenced the development of cultural theory. The development of cultural theory, and the identification of the political role of culture, coincided with and reflected growing disillusionment with the conventional framework of class politics. The guidance states that claims will be considered both from genealogical descendents as well as those from the cultural community of origin, which, it acknowledges, can be difficult to define.
