Valentina Gamberi

Sacred residues in museums: A membrane ethnography of Taiwanese religious heritage

Introduction

Sacred residues in museums: a membrane ethnography of taiwanese religious heritage. Analyze sacred residues and religious heritage in Taiwanese museums. An ethnography explores sacrality's stratification, human-matter dynamics, and secular-sacred porosity.

Abstract

This article reflects on the existing dynamics between the sacredness derived from the museumification of religious items and the sacredness of those artefacts employed in rituals that survive in museum spaces as a trace or sacred residue (Beekers 2016). Which sacrality predominates, and how do they influence each other? Through an ethnography conducted in several Taiwanese museums, the article probes into a stratification of sacralities: the encounter between Buddhist and Chinese religious practitioners with museum artefacts’ sacred residue reflects complex and unpredictable dynamics. The ethnography presented in this article is defined as membrane ethnography since the relationship between humans and matter is like a membrane that unites and simultaneously separates, filters and subjectifies. This article extends the meaning of sacred residue by examining the reproducibility of religious artefacts through technological or experiential means. The latter, rather than determining the artefacts’ inauthenticity, makes the sacred residue more explicit. Furthermore, the ethnography of the membrane shows how non-European contexts are permeated by porosity and interdependency between the secular and the sacred of religious heritage, thus preventing a dichotomisation between museums and ritual contexts for analysing the implied dynamics between them instead.

Review

The article "Sacred residues in museums: A membrane ethnography of Taiwanese religious heritage" presents a compelling and timely investigation into the complex interplay between the intrinsic sacredness of religious objects and their reinterpretation within museum environments. The authors skillfully introduce and interrogate the concept of "sacred residue," examining how ritual artefacts retain and manifest their sacrality even after museumification, particularly through the lens of Buddhist and Chinese religious practitioners in Taiwanese museums. This abstract immediately captures attention by posing critical questions about the stratification of sacralities and the dynamics of their mutual influence, promising a rich and nuanced exploration of human-matter relationships in heritage contexts. A key strength of this work lies in its innovative theoretical framing, notably the introduction of "membrane ethnography." This concept offers a sophisticated analytical tool for understanding how relationships between humans and matter simultaneously unite and separate, filter, and subjectify, providing a fresh perspective on the permeability of museum spaces. Furthermore, the article commendably extends the discourse around "sacred residue" by exploring the implications of technological and experiential reproducibility. The assertion that such reproductions can amplify rather than diminish the sacred residue is a provocative and insightful argument that challenges conventional understandings of authenticity and value. The focus on a non-European context, specifically Taiwanese museums, is particularly valuable, as it allows for a nuanced deconstruction of rigid sacred-secular dichotomies, highlighting instead the inherent porosity and interdependency characteristic of religious heritage in these settings. This article makes a significant contribution to the fields of museum studies, anthropology of religion, and heritage studies by providing a robust theoretical framework coupled with empirical grounding. While the abstract thoroughly outlines the conceptual innovations and key arguments, the full paper would undoubtedly benefit from detailing the practical applications of "membrane ethnography" and offering specific case studies or examples that illustrate how reproducibility explicitly reveals the sacred residue. Nevertheless, the sophisticated approach to understanding multi-layered sacralities and the refusal to succumb to simplistic binaries make this a highly relevant and impactful piece of scholarship. It offers a crucial lens through which to comprehend the dynamic and often contested meanings of religious heritage, and as such, it is strongly recommended for publication.

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