ABSTRACT

The discovery of South Africa's mineral wealth from the 1870s transformed what was a pastoral backveld amongst Britain's imperial possessions. Tent towns sprang up overnight as diggers and labour migrants “rushed” to the Diamond Fields. The colonial boundary was expanded rapidly to incorporate the new tracts; conquest followed in the region. The telling of Kimberley's history tends to valorise colonial “pioneers” and “city fathers,” their diamonds and mining feats, in museums and other media. Different readings are possible, inter alia through public participant engagements – outlined in case studies. Lyotardian petit recits are provoked by the experiences and/or by material traces, such as the worn-out patch in a linoleum floor of an erstwhile ironing room at a colonial mansion. Counter-narratives emerge, pointing to ways that an outwardly colonial heritage site is key to exploring multiple, intersecting social roles and relationships that extend well beyond the inner walls and garden fence. Other case studies add to a consideration of the museum as a “contact zone” where, as Witz suggests, there can be a future for many, varied and different pasts. Between past and future lies a present in which, as Dipesh Chakrabarty might argue, museums have their greatest opportunities and challenges.

摘要

从 1870 年代开始，南非矿产财富的发现改变了英国帝国属地中田园般的落后状态。随着挖掘者和劳工移民“涌入”钻石场，帐篷镇在一夜之间涌现。殖民地边界迅速扩大，以纳入新的区域；随后在该地区进行了征服。讲述金伯利的历史往往会在博物馆和其他媒体上宣传殖民“先驱者”和“城市之父”，以及他们的钻石和采矿壮举。不同的解读是可能的，尤其是通过公众参与——案例研究中概述。利奥塔式的小朗诵是由经验和/或物质痕迹引起的，例如殖民地豪宅旧熨斗室的油毡地板上的破旧补丁。反叙事出现，指出一个外在的殖民遗址是探索多种交叉社会角色和关系的关键，这些社会角色和关系远远超出了内墙和花园围栏。其他案例研究增加了将博物馆视为“接触区”的考虑，正如 Witz 所暗示的那样，许多不同的过去可能会有未来。正如 Dipesh Chakrabarty 可能认为的那样，在过去和未来之间存在着一个现在，博物馆面临着最大的机遇和挑战。