Abstract

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.

This research explores the discourses and constructions of meaning that occur in and around the artefacts of the Early People gallery in the National Museum of Scotland. In attempting to fill gaps in the scholarship on Early People, I undertook mixed method research including the use of secondary literature, reflexive autoethnography and object biographies to create a thorough, albeit subjective, picture of the gallery as a reaction to the Scottish socio-political context at the time of its inception. I have explored the ways in which the building, layout and modern art of Early People signal a distinctly anti-nationalist discourse to visitors, despite the gallery having been opened at a time of political reawakening for Scotland. By considering how the displays and interpretations of the artefacts in Early People convey their meanings to visitors and how the construction of meaning continues and changes in the museum giftshops I aim to uncover the conflicts and limitations of a gallery with ambitious anti-nationalist aims. I conclude that, despite its apparent innovation, those aims are not entirely fulfilled and have often resulted in confusing and inaccessible displays.

Keywords: National Museum of Scotland, Early People, museum interpretation, autoethnography, object biographies, giftshops