Introduction

This chapter argues that anthropological and global art collections are an important starting point for understanding different kinds of relationships between objects and media, and the multiple actors and institutions who have engaged with them over time. It shows how the focus on collections as relations opens up new perspectives on (1) the micropolitics and dynamics of belonging, (2) the constructions of cultural heritage and property disputes, and (3) the emergence of new kinds of knowledge infrastructures within and beyond institutional environments. In all these regards, the chapter argues that the ongoing contestations in all of these areas can lead to new ways of thinking of and managing evolving relationships, but that there is also an inertia and a resistance to change in institutional contexts. Consequently, while the focus on collections as relations may offer new perspectives on how collecting institutions and those who interact with and are responsible for them can reposition themselves in the face of current contestations, the actual outcomes of these dynamics are still uncertain.