CONSTRUCTION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MUSEOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF POWER-KNOWLEDGE RELATIONSHIP

The museum has been an important instrument in the construction of the past since the nineteenth century. It has been a symbol of modernization as an institution built in all capitals in Europe from the nineteenth century. In terms of the Middle East, the museum has represented an institution that reflects development within the framework of modernization movements. Developing regional museums in this context has not only been used as a means of imperialist annexation but also, for local rulers, a means of attaining Western standards of modernity. In the first case, the construction of the museum is about revealing the construction of the past and emphasising the role played by the ancestors of Western power. In this study, the power–knowledge relationships behind the development of the museum as an institution in the Middle East are examined.