Curating good participants? Audiences, democracy and authority in the contemporary museum

Abstract

ABSTRACT Public participation has become axiomatic in contemporary museum theory and practice. In the absence of consensus about the fundamental principles of participatory museology and what participation looks like in practice, the term is now routinely attached to a heterogenous array of museum-stakeholder interactions. This article interrogates the rhetoric of participatory museology by critically examining its intellectual roots, followed by a preliminary review of contemporary museum policy and strategic documents from international and national cultural bodies to generate a typology of participation in the museum sector. Taking the findings into account, this article questions whether New Museology’s desire to empower visitors is genuinely realised through participatory practices. It concludes by outlining future research directions that may contribute to greater understanding of the political and practical implications of audience participation in the museum context.