IN FOCUS MUSEUMS FOR SOCIAL HARMONY

The challenge of coexistence

The contribution of museum ethnographers to the social harmony debate
by Annette Fromm, Coordinator Museum Studies, Florida International University

Museums and social responsibility

By being socially responsible institutions, museums can promote greater inclusion and social harmony
by David Fleming, Director, National Museums Liverpool

The sculpture garden and view at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark

an we speak of social harmony from the perspective of ethnographic museums, even though this topic has been grappled with since the emergence of museum collections documenting cultural expression? Ethnographic collections were part and parcel of the forbearers of modern museums the prestigious cabinets of curiosity. With the expansion of what was thought to be the modern world, the recognition and collection of material evidence of mankind worldwide was one of the key items of many of these collections. They later became the foundation stones of many national ethnographic museums throughout Europe. But was the essence of these collections social harmony or was their goal to illustrate the superiority of the west? Towards the close of the 20th century new shifts in population changed the face of the world. Collecting both tangible and intangible cultural heritage from new neighbours also served a purpose not far from that of the earlier explorers who brought home souvenirs to their patrons. Several approaches are being taken to move from the model of superiority to a model of cultural reconciliation. Museum ethnographers are striving to raise awareness while

Challenging locations Challenging exhibitions Ethnographic collections have long been The Roma, an ancient displaced people who housed in museums of natural history. trace their origins to India, have lived for eons This approach emphasised the connecon the European continent. Recent political tion between non-Western cultures and issues have once again placed worldwide nature. But what about the relationship focus on this highly discriminated, persecut- between museum edifices and nature? Is ed and marginalised ethnic community. The this a challenge or does it reflect harmony? Council of Europe initiated the Route of Roma For instance, museums such as the LouisiCulture and Heritage Project, a multinational ana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; the project including institutions in France, Ger- Storm King Art Center in New York state; and many, Greece, Romania, Spain, the UK and the Krller Mller Museum near Otterlo, NethSlovenia, with the goal to deconstruct ide- erlands are purposely located far from popologies and practices of exclusion [], to ulation centres. Perhaps their seclusion with increase the knowledge [of] Roma history, no known connection to their surroundings is culture, values and lifestyle, to encourage the what Alex de Voogt, assistant curator at the contribution of Roma to Europes cultural life American Museum of Natural History, calls a and diversity, and ultimately, to contribute [] combination of nature, art and architecture. During ICOMs General Conference a positive value to the image of Roma. The Slovene Ethnographic Museum, in 2010 in Shanghai, ICOMs International Committee for Museums together with Roma and and Collections of non-Roma NGOs, held the first Roma Culture Festival The plasticity of culture Ethnography heard almost 30 presentations that in Slovenia, Romano is reflected in todays Chon/Romski mesec in ethnographic museums discussed the challenges that museums, ethnoApril 2009. April because 8 April is International Roma Day and spring graphic and otherwise, are addressing as is the metaphor for openness and optimism. a means to stimulate their audiences. The Aspects of Roma culture(s) presented in speakers hoped to prompt their colleagues the museum context included photo exhibi- to reflect on the 21st century relevance of tions, concerts of traditional and new-wave their collections. The question remains as music including Gypsy Swing, Hip-hop and to whether rich historic and contemporary Rap, dance, workshops, films, lectures, cultural expressions should be used to debates, and theatre and puppet shows. celebrate similarities between humankind or For a few days, these centres of celebration to provoke thought on difference in the face of of Roma culture and its richness provided coexistence. n dialogue among Slovene and Roma alike. The challenge was to place the spotlight on Authors note: I wish to thank Ralf Mencin eplak, Ethnographic Museum, and Alex de Voogt, the heritage of a cultural group generally Slovene American Museum of Natural History, for their reviled in Europe. Roma were included in the contribution to this article.

showing cultural differences and similarities, continuity and change, and accommodation. The plasticity of culture is reflected in todays ethnographic museums. New audiences are being engaged and drawn into museums.

programmes planning and popular culture currently emerging from the community in response to contemporary influences was presented.

useums are, by their nature, socially responsible institutions. Even in performing their most basic tasks of assembling, researching and caring for collections, they can benefit society. Of course, in making these collections available to the public through exhibitions and publications, the public benefit is taken a stage further museums educate, or at least aim to. So although the term social responsibility is relatively new in the museum context, exercising social responsibility is what museums have essentially been doing for many years. It would seem, however, that the current generation of museum workers is pushing the boundaries of social responsibility. The kind of work some museums undertake today is very different to museums previous missions. There is a number of ways in which this shift can be interpreted. First, museums today work very hard to understand their audiences. They are no longer content to throw open their doors and hope someone pays them a visit. They research their audiences and try to understand what interests and motivates them. They even identify

those who tend not to use museums and work to attract them, based on the principle that everyone in society should benefit from museums, not just a few. By so doing, museums become more democratic, less elitist; more open, less insular; more relevant, less peripheral. Second, and much more challenging to the status quo, museums are increasingly involved in contemporary social issues. They are changing from institutions that were preoccupied with the past, and obsessed with collections, into institutions where the public can find opinions about the present day, and where human stories predominate.
Embracing diversity This changing role is altering the relationship between museums and the public. It is fundamental to the future of museums but it is not to everyones taste within the museum world. The debate continues about the supposed responsibility of museums to be neutral, even though many younger museum workers are starting to think differently. Conservative views about museums linger on, captured in our ethical codes and our self-

September 2010: Inaugural Conference of the Federation of International Human Rights Museums, www.fihrm.org

penned definitions, but our profession is moving forward constantly. This may explain the adoption of the Torreon Declaration by the annual meeting of INTERCOM, ICOMs International Committee for Museum Management, in Mexico in 2009, which called upon museums to reject the notion of neutrality, and demanded that museums be positive forces for change and progress in the field of human rights. It is also in this context that a new international museum body, The Federation of International Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) was founded in 2010. At its inaugural meeting in Liverpool, FIHRM members considered that museums no longer look purely to collections for inspiration when relating histories they now look much more to people, and to peoples stories, and to ideas. The Federation considers that museums have become more emotive, which means that they are better able to communicate ideas. It also believes that museums are no longer monocultural institutions that concentrate on the histories of dominant social groups, of the privileged, but rather institutions that embrace the histories of minority or oppressed groups, alienated due to their class, ethnicity, gender or sexuality. In other words, museums have begun to embrace the notion of cultural diversity. These views may be seen by museum traditionalists as heretical, but by others as a breath of fresh air. FIHRM counts some of the worlds great museum organisations as members, including the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation, as well as National Museums Liverpool. In its unwavering commitment to the museums for human rights campaign, FIHRM has set a new challenge for the museum profession as a whole. How serious are museums about acting in a socially responsible manner? It remains to be seen whether museums will merely pay lip service to the notion, or if they are prepared to reinvent the museum, thus helping to create a socially harmonious world. n
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ALEX DE VOOGT

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