Mélanie Roustan

Mélanie Roustan is an anthropologist and Assistant Professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France. She teaches visitor studies in the Museum's Master in Museology program and conducts research in the PALOC laboratory (UMR Paloc), which focuses on heritage and territories. Her academic work bridges material culture studies with contemporary museum anthropology, examining how museums function as social spaces for working, visiting, and thinking about heritage, memory, and cosmology.

Dr. Roustan's research interests include:

• Material Culture Studies
• Museum Anthropology
• Visitor Studies
• Anthropology of Smoking
• Heritage Studies
• Indigenous Paradigms in French Museums
• Zoological Gardens as Heritage Sites

Her scholarly approach combines ethnographic fieldwork with theoretical analysis of museum practices and heritage politics. She has published extensively on museum anthropology, with notable works including 'Sous l'emprise des objets? Culture matérielle et autonomie' (2007), 'Voyage au Musée du quai Branly' (2012, with Octave Debary), and 'El museo y sus públicos. El visitante tiene la palabra' (2013, with Jacqueline Eidelman and Bernadette Goldstein).

Dr. Roustan's recent publications (2019-2023) demonstrate a significant evolution in her research toward contemporary issues in museum anthropology, particularly focusing on digital transformations in museum practices, indigenous perspectives in French museums, and the heritagization of living animals in zoological gardens. Her work on French ambivalence toward indigenous concepts and the administration of digital collections in zoological parks represents cutting-edge research at the intersection of anthropology, heritage studies, and digital humanities.

Her contributions to academic discourse include:

• Critical analysis of French museums' engagement with indigenous peoples
• Innovative research on living collections and biodiversity heritage
• Exploration of digital transformations in museum practices
• Examination of material culture in everyday life and museum contexts
• Comparative studies of heritage practices across national contexts

Dr. Roustan actively participates in international academic conferences, including presenting on Maori exhibitions in Paris and Québec City, reflecting her commitment to cross-cultural dialogue and understanding in museum contexts. Her work consistently demonstrates methodological rigor and theoretical sophistication, making significant contributions to multiple fields within anthropology and museum studies.