The Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art from and the recently published recommendations for dealing with colonial collections in European museums are the scientific and cultural policy answers to questions about past injustices that today's cultural institutions have to face. They see themselves as public spaces in which different voices should be able to articulate themselves and speak freely with each other.
The critics say that only some museums can meet such high goals — regardless of whether they consider such a self-description appropriate. They also doubt that many governments will follow such an interpretation. Ultimately, the message here is that museums give up some of their authority over collections and interpretations of the world.
This perspective is also anchored in a disciplinary context, borrowing its repertoire of concepts and theories mainly from anthropology. Ideologically, it is rooted in Gramsci's theories critical of power with the idea of hegemony; Gramsci, , Foucault's governmentality Foucault, or the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. Rather, museums are understood in Foucault's sense as disciplinary institutions that enable certain views of the world and deny others Foucault, They are involved in power relations and follow political mandates.
They do not merely depict and reproduce but decisively define what is considered right and wrong in a society.
The provocation of the new text is to demand that museums give an account of their work to the public and thus make themselves vulnerable. Self-reflexive museology has long been interested, above all, in the assumptions and selection criteria which are used in determining what museums collect, preserve, research and exhi bit Butler, , pp. These four tasks have formed the canon of museums since It defines museums as institutions that offer interpretations without assuming that they are in possession of the truth.
It runs the risk of not being compatible with many museums and not being accepted in countries that do not believe in minority protection, free speech and anti-authoritarian cultural institutions. For in the end, it is still the cultural policy of nation-states and municipalities that defines what museums can and should be. The fact that ICOM is returning to liberal values and the political function of the museum is a good sign in times when societies are becoming more diverse, when social standards are breaking down and when criticism is muted in the echo chambers of social networks or intimidated by authoritarian politics.
The pivotal question is: Is it about that? Is it about an ambitious museum vision for the future? Or should ICOM rather pursue the cultural policy matters of formulating minimum standards with its definition which should already apply to all museums today and which policy respects — especially in those countries where museums are particularly in need of protection? In this regard, the definition is a pragmatic text that describes what museums currently are. It takes into account the legal frameworks and the different political settings in which the current definition is embedded already.
Thus, it should be changed carefully. The vision, by contrast, is an idealistic manifesto that takes a position and shows an attitude. It defines goals for the future and determines how to get there. Since it is inherently based on values, it might be part of a renewed Code of Ethics. Vision and definition have different purposes but share the same goal: to position museums in contemporary societies and to reflect the social impact that museums have.
Bollenbeck, G. Bildung und Kultur. Glanz und Elend eines deutschen Deutungsmusters. Frankfurt a. Bonilla-Merchav, L. Museum International , 71 1—2 , — Brulon Soares, B. Defining Museums of the 21st Century: Plural Experiences. Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs , December 3.
Department of State. Butler, S. Reflexive Museology. Lost and Found. Macdonald, K. Witcomb Eds. In Merriam-Webster dictionary and thesaurus. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. Military and war museums. Museums specialized in military histories. Usually organized from a point of view of a one nation and conflicts in which that country has taken part. They collect and present weapons, uniforms, decorations, war technology and other objects.
Mobile museums. Museums that have no specific strict place of exhibiting. They could be exhibited from a vehicle or they could move from museum to museum as guests. Also a name for a parts of exhibitions of a museum that are sent to another museum. Natural history museums. Usually display objects from nature like stuffed animals or pressed plants.
They educate about natural history, dinosaurs, zoology, oceanography, anthropology, evolution, environmental issues, and more. Open-air museums. Characteristic for exhibiting outdoors. Exhibitions consist of buildings that recreate architecture from the past. First opened in Scandinavia near the end of the 19 th century. This can include:. Additionally, organising the layout and narrative of the institution can either be done in a way where the story unfolds in a linear manner.
Or, where the patrons create their own journey through the halls. Over the last couple of decades, a growing movement for the decolonisation of museums within the UK has arisen. It argues that the obtainment and subsequent narrative of the items of certain collections is unethical, stereotypical, and promoting a one-sided story.
Items were taken from the countries they were from without the consent of the indigenous people. Lydia B. Don't let after-school be an afterthought - join Gooroo's online platform centred around hands-on project-based learning! What is a Museum? These institutions have a purpose or goal, it can be: helping researchers uncover the secrets of their collections educating the general public about the importance of the collections More often than not, this goal shifts more to serving the general public.
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