ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the complications that anthropologists as curators face when moving from the theoretical domain of academic debate, to the much more complex sphere of public engagement. Through the case study of the Royal Ontario Museum's African section, the chapter addresses the difficult path of developing new forms of exhibitions and programmes that can address concerns relevant to museum audiences and communities in the twenty-first century, while also engaging in serious and respectful ways with the materiality of collections. As an experiment in self-reflexivity, Into the Heart of Africa intended to be an opportunity to reflect on ‘the complexities of cross-cultural encounters’ , but only according to parameters established by the institution itself. Despite its self-reflexive intentions, by refusing to engage in a serious dialogue with the protesters, the museum unquestionably positioned voice and authority in the realm of white-dominated academic discourse.
