Introduction

Value is a complex concept. It is used in many different senses that are at times set in opposition to one another. Value is a central component of the knowledge that enables people to act in particular domains, habitats, societies, and classes but the knowledge itself cannot be reduced to its application to any one of them. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book shows the importance of contemporary art practice as part of a continuing trajectory of collecting, in this case, in Central Australia. It provides a fascinating analysis of Sami collections held in Norwegian cultural institutions and the process of relocating them within the nation-state through a coordinated process of return. The book also focuses on ‘Pacific Currents,’ a two-year project researching and redisplaying the University Of Cambridge Museum Of Archaeology and Anthropology’s collections from the region.