How did colonialism influence the creation of ethnography museums in European capital cities?

Colonialism was a primary driver in the establishment of ethnography museums in European capital cities during the 19th century. These institutions were created as expressions of cultural imperialism, serving as "windows" into distant, colonized lands that were otherwise unknown to the European public.12

The influence of colonialism manifested in several key ways:

• Acquisition of Artifacts: Museums in capitals like London, Paris, and Amsterdam acquired vast collections of objects from colonies in Africa, Oceania, and Asia. While some were acquired through trade or scholarship, many were looted from colonized peoples.32
• Defining the Other: These museums were designed to preserve utilitarian objects from non-Western cultures, which were explicitly excluded from the history of Western civilization. By grouping these artifacts—often alongside natural history specimens—these institutions reinforced a hierarchy that categorized non-Western peoples as existing in a state of "savagery" compared to Western "civilization".32
• Didactic Purpose: Capital city museums functioned as empirical tools to validate colonial distinctions and demonstrate the reach of the empire.32

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, many of these institutions began restructuring their collections and exhibitions to move away from the colonial "self-other" dichotomy and address the ethics of ownership and repatriation.32