An exploration of the relationship between death and new life, with examples from Papua New Guine... more An exploration of the relationship between death and new life, with examples from Papua New Guinea and Enggano Island (Indonesia).
Opposing the Ugly: The Reception of Manet and the Struggle against the Primitive, 2022
The resistance against the works of Manet in the mid-nineteenth century is well-known. It is argu... more The resistance against the works of Manet in the mid-nineteenth century is well-known. It is argued that is was particularly the fear for the rough, the unknown and the primitive, uncivilized outside to become a threat to mainstream bourgeois thought and moral that led to the fierce attacks on Manet. At the same time we see that the western art canon changed because of these rough, uncivilized outside influences. The primitive should therefore be seen as something that is potentially fertile.
Edited by Roald Docter, Ridha Boussoffara & Pieter ter Keurs Carthage is mainly known as ... more Edited by Roald Docter, Ridha Boussoffara & Pieter ter Keurs Carthage is mainly known as the city that was utterly destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC. This book tells the story about this fascinating city, which for centuries was the centre of a far-flung trade network in the Mediterranean. Carthage was founded by Phoenician migrants, who settled in the north of what is now Tunisia, probably in the ninth century BC. The city’s strategic location was key to its success. From here, the Carthaginians could dominate both seafaring trade and the overland trade with the African interior. Carthage, Fact and Myth presents the most recent views of Carthaginian society, its commerce and politics, and the way its society was organised. Chapters, written by leading experts, describe the founding of Carthage, its merchant and war fleets, and the devastating wars with Rome. These include the campaigns of the famous Carthaginian commander Hannibal who crossed the Alps with his army and elephants to pose a grave threat to Rome, but he was ultimately unable to prevail. Tunisian experts describe Roman Carthage – the city as it was rebuilt by the Emperor Augustus – and discuss the later Christian period. Finally, the reader encounters a wealth of information about European images of Carthage, from 16th-century prints to the Alix series of comics. The book is published as part of a large exhibition on the ancient city of Carthage in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities Watch the clip below to have a look at some of the pages: https://youtu.be/nbyhZ726xj8
The story of colonial collecting is complex and full of contradictions. Collectors often apprecia... more The story of colonial collecting is complex and full of contradictions. Collectors often appreciated the 'other' cultures where they obtained collections, but at the same time they had a close relationship with the colonial authorities who were willing to subjugate societies with military violence. This book addresses colonial collecting with examples from the Dutch East Indies and, by means of comparison, with a discussion about collecting in British India. Since the 1990s the phenomenon of collecting has become an important part of anthropological discourse. This development touches upon the foundations of the discipline, since it throws light on how the white colonizers dealt with local cultures, and thus on how the formation of the anthropological discourse took place. The study of collecting can help us to develop an anthropology of intentionality, instrumentality and desire, as Anthony Shelton argues in one of the contributions to this book. Objects do not stop 'to...
Initially the Siassi people of Mandok Island, off the Papua New Guinea coast, are not particularl... more Initially the Siassi people of Mandok Island, off the Papua New Guinea coast, are not particularly impressed by Pieter ter Keurs’ presence among them. They themselves are of immigrant origin and so are their awe-inspiring spirits that sanction the moral order. In this chapter ter Keurs relates how their leaders consider him too young to carry any political clout. And yet the craftsmen welcome him to their workshops where they permit him to witness the very sacred motifs and ancestral emblems from which women and children must be shielded. He may learn about the powerful spirits that supervise the social life and they let him purchase a mask embodying the most sacred ancestor, so that a remote society may benefit from its auspicious spiritual agency.
An adapted version of a lecture delivered in September 2019 at Leiden University. The text discus... more An adapted version of a lecture delivered in September 2019 at Leiden University. The text discusses psychological, political and ethical aspects of collecting.
An exploration of the relationship between death and new life, with examples from Papua New Guine... more An exploration of the relationship between death and new life, with examples from Papua New Guinea and Enggano Island (Indonesia).
Opposing the Ugly: The Reception of Manet and the Struggle against the Primitive, 2022
The resistance against the works of Manet in the mid-nineteenth century is well-known. It is argu... more The resistance against the works of Manet in the mid-nineteenth century is well-known. It is argued that is was particularly the fear for the rough, the unknown and the primitive, uncivilized outside to become a threat to mainstream bourgeois thought and moral that led to the fierce attacks on Manet. At the same time we see that the western art canon changed because of these rough, uncivilized outside influences. The primitive should therefore be seen as something that is potentially fertile.
Edited by Roald Docter, Ridha Boussoffara & Pieter ter Keurs Carthage is mainly known as ... more Edited by Roald Docter, Ridha Boussoffara & Pieter ter Keurs Carthage is mainly known as the city that was utterly destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC. This book tells the story about this fascinating city, which for centuries was the centre of a far-flung trade network in the Mediterranean. Carthage was founded by Phoenician migrants, who settled in the north of what is now Tunisia, probably in the ninth century BC. The city’s strategic location was key to its success. From here, the Carthaginians could dominate both seafaring trade and the overland trade with the African interior. Carthage, Fact and Myth presents the most recent views of Carthaginian society, its commerce and politics, and the way its society was organised. Chapters, written by leading experts, describe the founding of Carthage, its merchant and war fleets, and the devastating wars with Rome. These include the campaigns of the famous Carthaginian commander Hannibal who crossed the Alps with his army and elephants to pose a grave threat to Rome, but he was ultimately unable to prevail. Tunisian experts describe Roman Carthage – the city as it was rebuilt by the Emperor Augustus – and discuss the later Christian period. Finally, the reader encounters a wealth of information about European images of Carthage, from 16th-century prints to the Alix series of comics. The book is published as part of a large exhibition on the ancient city of Carthage in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities Watch the clip below to have a look at some of the pages: https://youtu.be/nbyhZ726xj8
The story of colonial collecting is complex and full of contradictions. Collectors often apprecia... more The story of colonial collecting is complex and full of contradictions. Collectors often appreciated the 'other' cultures where they obtained collections, but at the same time they had a close relationship with the colonial authorities who were willing to subjugate societies with military violence. This book addresses colonial collecting with examples from the Dutch East Indies and, by means of comparison, with a discussion about collecting in British India. Since the 1990s the phenomenon of collecting has become an important part of anthropological discourse. This development touches upon the foundations of the discipline, since it throws light on how the white colonizers dealt with local cultures, and thus on how the formation of the anthropological discourse took place. The study of collecting can help us to develop an anthropology of intentionality, instrumentality and desire, as Anthony Shelton argues in one of the contributions to this book. Objects do not stop 'to...
Initially the Siassi people of Mandok Island, off the Papua New Guinea coast, are not particularl... more Initially the Siassi people of Mandok Island, off the Papua New Guinea coast, are not particularly impressed by Pieter ter Keurs’ presence among them. They themselves are of immigrant origin and so are their awe-inspiring spirits that sanction the moral order. In this chapter ter Keurs relates how their leaders consider him too young to carry any political clout. And yet the craftsmen welcome him to their workshops where they permit him to witness the very sacred motifs and ancestral emblems from which women and children must be shielded. He may learn about the powerful spirits that supervise the social life and they let him purchase a mask embodying the most sacred ancestor, so that a remote society may benefit from its auspicious spiritual agency.
An adapted version of a lecture delivered in September 2019 at Leiden University. The text discus... more An adapted version of a lecture delivered in September 2019 at Leiden University. The text discusses psychological, political and ethical aspects of collecting.
The second Yearbook of the Interdisciplinary Research Group Museums, Collections and Society, Lei... more The second Yearbook of the Interdisciplinary Research Group Museums, Collections and Society, Leiden University
The many crises in the world (wars, terrorism, covid, migration, climate change, etc.) urge us to... more The many crises in the world (wars, terrorism, covid, migration, climate change, etc.) urge us to reflect on how to deal with uncertainties and, in addition, how to act in the future to cope with the feelings uncertainty and of distress. What should be the role of cultural institutions, such as museums, in a society in distress? The work of Hannah Arendt may help us to direct our thoughts and actions.
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