Creating typecasts: Exhibiting eugenic ideas from the past today

Abstract

This paper reflects on the experience of curating the exhibition and events programme around Typecast: Flinders Petrie and Francis Galton at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, University College London during 2011. Typecast explored ideas around race and archaeology, heredity and eugenics in the early twentieth century. After independent consultation, I decided to write about the exhibition from my own perspective and publicly identify myself as curator. As part of my own response, I drew parallels with contemporary events and issues today. This paper incorporates a discussion of:•the implications of using my personal identity; how situations could have been handled differently,•the myth of neutrality, especially around contentious issues, within museum and media institutions,•anonymous responses from visitors and identified critical voices; ethical responsibility in dealing with provocative issues,•how wider discussion in a public realm was facilitated. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.