Ethnographic museum as a way of speaking about other cultures : the case of Paris museums

The article focuses on the history of ethnographic museums in Paris. Since 19th century there have been certain significant changes in the way ethnographic objects were treated. In 1937 Museum of Man replaced Museum Trocadero and recently, in 2006 Jacques Chirac opened new ethnographic museum: du Quai Branly. It provokes, however, controversies and discussions. In my analysis I try to illustrate the influence of most important questions in modern anthropology, such as heritage of colonialism, attitude towards cultures told „primitive” etc., on ethnographic exhibitions in Paris