MUSEOLOGY / MUSEUM STUDIES

Museums Are Dead.

They fell victim to torch-bearing mobs, looters, and the vociferous contempt of political and religious groups. But perhaps also through insular pedagogies, inequitable practices, and a lack of representation or transparency, museums contributed to their own demise.

In our current social climate, it has become critical that we, as students, teachers, employees and participants of the museum, reflect on our roles within the white marble walls of the establishments we hold dear. The articles in the following pages represent the curiosity, research, perspective and tenacity required to lay the old museum to rest in order to allow the new museum to thrive.

Together we imagine a future for these institutions untethered from the colonial ties that bind them today. We address the difficult histories of the museum whose past has been marred with racism, sexism, classism, and questionable ethics. In this issue, museum practitioners tackle topics such as repatriation and inequitable labor practices through analysis of media and artifacts. Together we imagine the museum not as a lost cause, but as an opportunity to grow, to learn and to change.

Enjoy reading.

Long Live Museums.

(Letter from the Editorial Board, Fwd: Museums 2019)