Redressing the Museum in Feminist Theory

Abstract

Museums presuppose, but do not normally profess their theoretical foundations. Assaulted by critics of various persuasions, they tend to react in ad hoc ways, adopting ill-matched strategies to respond to immediate situations. Reconceptualizing the museum from a theoretical perspective provides coherence and a basis for constructive development and critique. Innovation, in light of feminist theory, is compatible with proposals emanating from alternative sources. Illustrating how museums could benefit from application of feminist theory, this essay discusses correcting the imbalance and indignity of subject to object treatment, abandoning the model of the “masterpiece”, overcoming the segregation of artifacts and museum enterprises by arbitrary boundaries that limit meaning, and replacing possession and consumption with participation in process. Adopting feminist theory would energize and revitalize museums and broaden the base of their appeal.