International Museum Studies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://gupea-staging.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/28946

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The forgetting institution: Memory and oblivion in the National History Museum in contemporary Albania
(2020-09-03) Roa Triana, Julián Emiro; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
National museums are institutions that exhibit historical narratives politically influenced by individuals, groups or governments. These actions are implemented inside the exhibition space of museums through the creation of specific projects of memory and oblivion that seek to convert historic memory in an ideological tool. In this dissertation, it is discussed the different aspects involved in the creation of these projects to subsequently make use of them in specific case studies inside a national museum. For this purpose, it was collected visual material from documentaries, books and photographs of five areas of the permanent exhibition of the National History Museum of Tirana in Albania showing the level of transformation of its spaces, since its construction in 1981 during the Communist regime until the subsequent transitional period to a Capitalist society. These cases were analysed to find the implications of the ideological influence of political regimes in the museum exhibitions. As a result of this analyses it was possible to discover heterogeneous political influences in the construction of the Albanian historic memory particularly influenced by different ideologies. Consequently, the case studies showed some ways in which the museum has dealt with constructed representations of history ranking from the glorification of past to the contesting of the Communist period in Albania. It was demonstrated through the findings and the subsequent discussion that some of the political projects of memory and oblivion implemented by the Communist regime in 1981 have been kept intact or transformed, thus, evidencing a heterogeneous response of the museum to the historical discourse that the former Communist regime implemented in Albania.
Representing Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Case Study on Living Presentations in the Mekong River - Connecting Cultures Program at the 2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
(2014-08-15) Nguyen Duc, Tang; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
This thesis explores and analyzes the practice of interpreting living cultural traditions, known as living cultural presentation, at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Using a review of the literature, participant observation and questionnaire surveys via email as the main methods of data collection, the thesis discusses issues and challenges around the live displays at the Festival. Central to these issues are authenticity, politics of participation and politics of representation. A case study on the Vietnamese displays at the 2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival is employed to magnify these perspectives in further detail. This case study makes clear that although the participation at the Festival was evaluated as a success in a number of ways, delivery of the living presentations on the National Mall shows limitations inherent in the recontextualization, site restrictions, communication, as well as the Festival’s mode of presentation. However, the post-festival effects and the prospective brought about from participating in the Festival onto the lives of the tradition-bearers and the viability of their traditions, although some are challenging, are considerable. It is recommended that although source communities need to be encouraged to document, preserve and transmit their traditions, the notion of ‘performance’ is fraught with potential dangers, especially in relation to authentically ‘reproducing’ traditions for consumption. Questions of ethics, responsibility and change to traditions as a result of performance need to be considered.
The Graying State of Site-Specific Art and Practice: Globalization, Biennialization and the Curatorial Turn
(2013-02-13) Abukasis, Yarden; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
This thesis argues that there exists a graying state of site specificity. A range of gradients of site-specific art and practice that reflect the convoluted, muddled and simultaneously fluid state that has resulted due to the upsurge of biennials and large-scale exhibitions in the past 15 years. This graying has resulted due to and cyclically affects notions of place and the relationship of the artist and curator. With the theory of site paradigms by Miwon Kwon and the differentiation of ‘literal’ and ‘functional’ site by James Meyer as a basis of the theoretical framework, the graying of site specificity is unpacked with the application of these theories in conjunction with theories of place and the discussion on the shifting role of the curator and curatorial agenda. This framework is then applied in the analysis of a novel and multifaceted set of examples. The intention of the examination of these biennials is to activate what this thesis argues to be a crucial conversation that must be continued, one with the current and future graying state of site-specific art and practice as its focal point.
Blockbuster exhibitions: The Future of Swedish Museums?
(2012-10-18) Liu, Emilia; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
With the heavy cutbacks worldwide in the museum field, museums need to find other methods to finance their operations (Black, 2012). The survival of museums depends if the audiences come. If no one visits the museum, then what good can the ‘big and expensive institutions’ contribute to the society (Wäre, 2002, p.271)? Opinion on what museums are about differs depending on what values the one you are talking with holds (Hall, 2011). With many trends and countertrends, my interest was caught by the discussion of inclusionary and participatory museum, i.e. the social museum, and the trend of mounting blockbuster exhibitions. While at first glance, these two phenomena seem to contradict one another, I wanted to investigate if it might not be possible to merge them, such that the blockbuster exhibition concept could work as a means to achieving the goal of social museums. The social museum should work for the good of society and its population, and hence should include and welcome everyone (Heumann Gurian, 2006). According to the guiding ethos of a social museum, museums should promote cross-cultural understanding, as well as building bridges of apprehension between diverse groups in society (Sandell, 2007). A short definition on the word ‘blockbuster exhibition’ could be an exhibition that attracts a lot of people to see it and thus generates profit. However, one has to look beyond the numbers blockbusters represent: profit, audience, marketing, etc. During my research I have reached the conclusion that if a blockbuster is well made, it can not only contribute to the budget and audience size, but can also add educational value. A well-made exhibition, regardless of whether it is a blockbuster or not, makes the visitor leave the museum happy and content. What is more important, a well-made exhibition makes the visitor leave the museum with new knowledge.
(Re)framing national discourse: an analysing perspective of the role of one object in several (dis)plays
(2012-10-02) Berg Björk, Linnea; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
Exhibitions, as frames for displayed objects, mediate and talk about the past as if it had just happened. Stories are being told through arrangement and physical categorization of museum materials, which were collected in order to tell something about past times. One object, a Tallerken (a plate) has been classified, formed and placed in the two exhibitions Gamle Norkse Varer (1937) and Historiske reiser i dannede hjem (2009) at Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo, Norway, through different national discourses and mediating different national identities. By using comparative discourse analyse of the two exhibitions’ spatial and contextual formation, this thesis investigates the different national rhetoric the Tallerken has been contextualised in through different periods. In the exhibition Gamle Norskee Varer the Tallerken was to be experienced as an aesthetic object, representing itself as something purely Norwegian. In Historiske reiser i dannede hjem on the other hand, the object plays the role as a supporting actor in a bigger contextualising narrative, and symbolises a more fluid interpretation of Norwegian culture. The thesis also deliberates theoretical discussions that could be adapted when creating alternative contextualisation of history and national identity concerning the Tallerken. The imagined community, and the national framing of cultural history objects, might be reinterpreted and re-defined in order to open up the understanding of what used to be interpreted as a national symbol, but actually might be of a more multi-cultural origin.
Archiving Artistic Processes in Evolving Relationships
(2012-08-08) Chen, Xueyin; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
This thesis is concerned with the institutionalization of artistic processes, particularly in the forms of the archive and the art museum. It is argued that artistic processes are complex, varied, and involves many factors. The archive and the museum, armed with the task to preserve valuable records for society, are also participants of artistic processes, while at the same time contributing to the symbolic value of the objects they hold as they feed their interpretations to a passive audience. Yet as artistic processes enter the archive and the museum, the role of the institution is downplayed and recorded separately from the work of the artist, with the artist being a common organizational principle of artistic processes. The material aspects of works are privileged in the archive and the museum, while processes, especially those that didn’t result in material productions, are seldom discussed. It is argued that the emphasis on the role the artist rather than that of the institution; and the focus on the materialized works rather than immaterial processes, benefit the institution as it excludes the institution’s role and what it marginalizes. This thesis then discusses the recent development of conceptual art, information society, as well as changes of the art museum’s role from a bourgeoisie enlightenment project to a site of reflexivity and criticism, which is now expected to provide the service of artistic critique for productivity in a Post-Fordist society. It is argued that these developments force the art institution to adapt to immaterial aspects of artistic processes; at the same time, the art museum must also renegotiates its relationship to the artist and the audience. The artist and the audience can now push existing institutional boundaries, yet at the same time can be institutionalized themselves, functioning as infinite extensions of the museum. In this instance, artistic processes provides an opportunity to connecting different realities, given that the art institution goes beyond a site of aesthetic discussion and serves instead as a node with its role rooted in reflexivity and criticality. The act of documentation and archiving, must not become a tool to cut off the vitality of operationality of the artistic process, but rather provide a site where official narratives are connected with other realities.
Revealing the Silent Message of the Museum: The Legacies of Institutional Critique
(2012-07-06) King, Alexandra; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
Joining reflections examining the legacies of institutional critique, this thesis focuses on the transforming roles of its producers, consumers and targets. A theoretical thesis emerging from desk-based research, it uses Pierre Bourdieu’s Field Theory to examine agents in the cultural field. It argues that the public enactment of institutional critique contributed to the expansion of the roles of artist, visitor and the institutions themselves. Examples of the practice are provided, ranging from the contemporary artworks of Fred Wilson and Andrea Fraser, acts by the Guerrilla Girls to internal, institutionally-produced critiques in the form of exhibitions and display methods. By examining the forms it takes, it maps the reception and transformation of the practice itself in the context of the changing museal landscape from the 1960’s to today. Expanding from its original, largely external methods, contemporary institutional theory now internalises institutional critique. This thesis argues that by drawing the public’s attention to the museum’s framings (or ‘silent messages’), they can critically - and more independently - consider the narratives they receive. In this sense, institutional critique is internalised once again with the potential for use by visitor-agents. In doing so – and by holding museums accountable to their ideologies - it offers a valuable tool for the benefit of agents within the museal field.
Exploring the Middle Ground between the Traditional and the Reformed Museum: A Study of the Re-Profiling Project at Vänersborg‟s Museum
(2012-07-06) Ardin, Jennie; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
The main focus of this dissertation is discussions regarding change in museums. Here, I examine and problematize attitudinal shifts present in discussions regarding for instance, definitions of museums and their function in society; audiences, perceptions of museum collections and objects; accessibility and perceptions of knowledge production. The debate tends to become polarized and thus, inefficient. In this thesis, I argue for a balance and a perspective which involves opening up for and accepting variety as well as the specific in museums. This is discussed in relation to Vänersborg‟s Museum, a unique museum which recently underwent a re-profiling process and which is currently implementing the new approaches and ways of thinking as a result of this. I have reviewed the result of this project and examined it in the light of the current discussions regarding change and furthermore, attempted to demonstrate that characteristics of the traditional museum can be combined and coexist with characteristics of the reformed museum. Graham Black‟s „model‟ for a holistic museum in the 21st century involves ideas appropriate to the situation of Vänersborg‟s Museum. This approach focuses on keeping the core products, site, collections and associated expertise of the museum uncompromised whilst keeping the tangible and intangible elements of the museum dynamic and flexible.
A Series of Firsts: Australian & Dutch Representations of the Dutch East India Company (VOC)
(2012-07-02) Ariese, Csilla; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
Museums are often seen as objective providers of the truth. In this thesis, that notion is contested and, instead, the idea is explored that museums actively construct representations. These representations are steered by politics and discourses. Nonetheless, most visitors to historical museums are unaware that they are being confronted with representations of the past, that they are shown only specific histories and that these representations are displayed towards certain ends. The thesis focuses on the history of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and its representations in the Netherlands and in Australia. In both countries, this history is seen with a certain amount of pride. Literature and museum exhibitions have been investigated to see how these countries represent the VOC and analyzed to understand why these representations are used. Discourses and political movements such as nationalism, colonialism and post-colonial theory are revealed behind some of these representations of the VOC. The representations in each country are very different, due to the different reigning discourses which have influenced museums and literature. In the Netherlands, these representations have altered over time along with changes in the dominant discourses. In Australia, the discourses have changed but the representations have not yet followed suit. Therefore, a suggestion is made for the use of reflexive representation, through which museums, in their exhibitions, uncover representations and the political powers behind them. Visitors will then be confronted with the subjective and interpretative work of museums and will no longer accept a museum’s representation of history as an objective fact. History is revealed for what it is: merely one version of the past.
The Intangible Museum: Common Threads
(2012-06-27) Beck, Steven C.; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
An exhibition can be more or less effective; however, museums today have to use other channels to address their communities and create other opportunities to activate the participation of their audiences. A successful museum will solicit the visitor’s participation and engulf them in the experience. If museums are to meet their responsibility as places of learning then museums need to incorporate different ways of teaching their audience. They should also find new ways to incorporate creativity and human forms into the museum experience. One way to do this is through the use of storytelling and oral histories, which offer a personalized and very individualistic perspective by participants of events, like no other branch of science can. There are innumerable museums across the globe, all with a different history, mission and story. One common trait; however, is that the museum itself is in the field of storytelling. The objects they select to display tell a particular story, individually or societal. More interesting is that, just as there is a new mathematics, new science, new biology, and new physics – there is a new museology that exists today. Museums everywhere face the challenge of presenting these objects to an audience in an interesting and educational way. Storytelling provides a type of medium to achieve success in this process. Below I will examine and defend storytelling as a learning opportunity and explore the impact they may have as a pedagogy tool in museums, by creating relevance and learning through shared, personal experience. Second, I’ll look at why museums should use storytelling to reach learning objectives. Here I’ll discuss the general reasons for choosing storytelling as a pedagogy tool and the impact it may have on learning in museums. Following this discussion, I contrast the question of museum space with the pedagogy tool of storytelling in an effort to understand how storytelling can be envisioned to better educate the museum visitor and provide a more memorable experience. Third, I combine the strengths and difficulties of utilizing storytelling in a case study of the MythStories Museum in Shropshire, England. I’ll examine just how an “Intangible Museum” functions and the benefits which storytelling provide. To support this case study and the preceding information I’ll look at how storytelling has been used in and around Museums the past 20 or 30 years. I’ll explore shared ideas and museum works with varying storytellers. I’ll conclude my paper by arguing that storytelling should play a fundamental part of education in museums across the globe and how they can be packaged to raise awareness and ensure audience learning.
The sugarcoat factory: A comparative approach to national history museums
(2012-06-25) Kreibich, Stefanie; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
This Master thesis deals with the depiction of national history in national history museums. In order to contribute to comparative studies of national museums, the author pursues to create an approach to compare the narration at these museums. This attempt is based on the assumption that certain common patterns of narratives (topoi) are incorporated into the narration at national history museums. The aim of the thesis is to nd and de ne these topoi and to ascertain whether they are part of the historiography at three national museums in Europe (Scotland, Czech Republic and Germany) and one national museum in North America (United States of America). By applying a discursive analysis to the main labels and particular objects at the museums, the topoi shall be located. With the help of Formal Concept Analysis, a method deriving from Mathematical Sciences, the results of the discursive analysis are prepared for evaluation and conclusion. This method serves to answer, amongst others, the question: To which extend are the exhibitions at the four national museums driven by underlying nationalistic ways of thinking? The inquiry will demonstrate that similar patterns of narrating national history do exist in the four museums, especially in regard to the three European museums. At two museums, an intrinsic nationalistic sentiment in the way of narrating can be shown on the basis of an ad hoc elaborated de nition of the term nationalism.
Asalet el Hara: (Originality of the Alley) Ecomuseums as a Model for Community Regeneration and Heritage Preservation in Cairo
(2012-05-09) Ruggles, Angela; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
Egypt has world famous heritage that is coveted and protected internationally; however, much of the local ʻdistinctivenessʼ is deteriorating and the communities living amongst this heritage are impoverished. This dissertation discusses the potential for ecomuseums in Cairo to utilize local ʻdistinctivenessʼ as a tool for social and economic development, heritage preservation and community empowerment. In this paper, I review the definition of ecomuseums and its deeper theoretical concepts in landscape, heritage, place and memory, and community empowerment. I then focus on social and economic development, which is one of the practical applications of ecomuseums. I provide definitions for social and economic development in heritage projects and show evidence of the successful integration of heritage and development from fieldwork conducted in Italy where some of the most successful ecomuseums of this nature can be found. After reviewing these concepts, I return the focus to Cairo to develop an appropriate model for an ecomuseum in the Egyptian cultural and political context. Through a case study, I show the impact that a restoration project in Darb el Asfar, one of Cairoʼs historic districts, had on the local community to illustrate the value of linking heritage preservation and development. Furthermore, in order to formulate the best methods for approaching a future ecomuseum, I look deeper in to the history, structure and legislation of the cultural sector, which would impact a project in its development, organization and funding sources. In conclusion, I visualize a Cairean ecomuseum project, show the challenges but argue its potential benefits in sustainable social and economic development in Egypt.

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