Museology and its constituent dialogues: inside and outside the boundaries

Abstract

The debate on interdisciplinarity in Museology is as old as the debate about the museological field itself. In fact, the discussion about the nature and object of the Museology field has always been permeated by interfaces with other fields. As we asserted in the 2014 ICOFOM meeting, Museology exists as a claim for recognition of museum professionals for our specific knowledge and objectives. It is the result of a process that is willing to be systematic, disciplined and academic, fostered and formed by the museum’s major programs. Therefore, the question is: Why has Museology set itself as an interdisciplinary field since its beginning? In order to answer this question, we propose the following topics: 1) Reflection on the concept of discipline and interdisciplinarity using Pierre Bourdieu and Peter Burke for the theoretical framework; 2) Brief considerations of the first discussions related to interdisciplinarity in Museology; 3) Case study analysis: the graduate program in Museology and Heritage of Rio de Janeiro and its interdisciplinary dialogues. The final consideration points out the importance of museum professionals in the museological field, not only in the configuration of its boundaries, but also in the construction of its own interdisciplinary dialogues.