The museum and the object: cultural commodities in flux at the museum of Islamic art in Cairo

Value within museums is not static but dynamically re-activated during significant political, social, or physical events. Contrary to the notion that object value is suspended in museum settings, this study demonstrates that such moments trigger negotiations and constructions of value through institutional mechanisms like curation, staff, ownership, funding, and the building itself. Focusing on three pivotal moments in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo—its founding, renovation, and the 2014 bombing—the research reveals how external dynamics reshape the museum's role as both a commodity mediator and an object of value. The study leverages Appadurai’s and Kopytoff’s frameworks to explore these processes, highlighting the fluidity and adaptability of cultural value in response to historical upheavals.

Berger, M.-J. (2017). The museum and the object: cultural commodities in flux at the museum of Islamic art in Cairo. Museum Management and Curatorship, 32(4), 395–414. https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2017.1347807