The following texts trace the history of governmental patronage of museums all the way back to the formation of the Saudi nation state in the early twentieth century. The objective of these texts is to provide an interactive and markdown-accessible engagement. Readers are encouraged to edit, markdown, annotate and comment on these texts.
Informed by archival materials and the documentation of state patronage efforts, these texts link the early formation of the contiguous nation-state with the institutionalization of public education in the mid-twentieth century. Whereas the second text considers the formation of the first generation of public museums and cultural institutions by the end of the last century and draws attention to the ruptures that take place in their continuity. Lastly, a close examination of the contemporary efforts by the government to redevelop public museums since 2016 is considered.
