Evolution of Museums and Museology

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Amuseum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment. Museums are mission-driven organizations and a cornerstone of civil society. Museums play an important role in the preservation of history. Museum studies, also called museology are the study of the design. organization and management of museums. Degree programs can help students gain an understanding of all facets of the museum business, from organization and administration to the acquisition, care and conservancy of historic artifacts and works of art. The latest movements in museology tend to focus on museums being interdisciplinary, multi-vocal, accessible, and open to criticism. While these critical discourses dominate contemporary museology, there are many different kinds of museums that exist today, some of which are engaged in new and innovative practices, and others that are more traditional and less critical. This book will be of interest to museum and heritage professionals and academics and senior students in Museum Studies.

Keshaw Chandra is Guest Faculty, University Department of Archaeology and Musiology, J.P University, Chapra. He has authored several research papers and attended many national seminars and symposiums.

A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Museums are mission-driven organizations and a cornerstone of civil society. The largest museums are located in major cities throughout the world, while thousands of local museums exist in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Museums have varying aims, ranging from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The goal of serving researchers is increasingly shifting to serving the general public. There are many types of museums, including art museums, natural history museums, science museums, war museums, and children's museums. Amongst the world's largest and most visited museums are the Louvre in Paris, the National Museum of China in Beijing, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the British Museum and National Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and Vatican Museums in Vatican City. According to International Council of Museums, there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries. Museums play an important role in the preservation of history. Extensive education is necessary to enter this field, but for those interested in preserving history and educating others on its importance, it can be a gratifying career choice.

Museum studies, also called museology, are the study of the design, organization and management of museums. Degree programs can help students gain an understanding of all facets of the museum business, from organization and administration to the acquisition, care and conservancy of historic artifacts and works of art. The development of museology in Europe coincided with the emergence of early collectors and cabinets of curiosity in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. In particular, during The Age of Enlightenment anthropologists, naturalists, and hobbyist collectors encouraged the growth of public museums that displayed natural history and ethnographic objects and art in North America and Europe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, European powers' colonization of overseas lands was accompanied by the development of the disciplines of natural history and ethnography, and the rise of private and institutional collection building. In many cases museums became the holding places for collections that were acquired through colonial conquests, which positioned museums as key institutions in Western European colonial projects. The latest movements in museology tend to focus on museums being interdisciplinary, multi-vocal, accessible, and open to criticism. While these critical discourses dominate contemporary museology, there are many different kinds of museums that exist today, some of which are engaged in new and innovative practices, and others that are more traditional and less critical. Operational museology refers to the day-to-day operations of a museum, including its organizational and regulatory structures, institutional policies and protocols (procedural, ethical, etc.), collections management (including conservation and restoration), and its exhibitions and programs. While there has been much scholarship around operational museology over the last 30 years, some scholars argue that it has lacked sustained analysis. Critical museology has emerged as a key discourse in contemporary museology. It is a broad field of study that engages critically with museums, calling into question the foundation assumptions of the field.

This book will be of interest to museum and heritage professionals and academics and senior students in Museum Studies.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages