Objective/context:

In this paper, we discuss the importance of studying museum collections in new light of anthropological theories, using the allegory of excavating the museum as an archaeological site, retrieving new information about objects and about new contexts and assemblages. We believe that this practice of "excavating" will bring us closer obviously to the artifacts, but also to an archaeology of the contemporary past that can open up new means of interacting with material culture and our society. Central to this debate are the collections and archives that can be used to disseminate the history of different disciplines, such as anthropology and archaeology.

Methodology:

Through various university museums in Argentina, we discuss the history and formation of collections in the history of archaeology, focusing on the von Hauenschild collection at the Museo de Antropología (Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba). The collection, which we have studied and analyzed on several occasions, originates in Santiago del Estero.

Conclusions:

We argue that, while being careful not to reproduce a colonial paradigm in this context, new ways of interpreting collections, using ethnographic and indigenous knowledge and working with communities of origin, allow us to create new relationships with objects and highlight other life histories that can be incorporated into the museum environment. We believe that collections "speak" about the people who excavated, catalogued, classified, studied, and interpreted them at some point in time.

Originality:

To conclude, we propose a research agenda to study collections in museums, by "excavating" archival material and re-examining archaeological artifacts.

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