Transformation of the concept "museum" in the Ukrainian space

Abstract

After the conference in Japan in 2019, museum communities of different countries discussed the transformation of the concept of "museum" and the need to change the existing definition. The article attempts to outline how the idea of "museum" was transformed among Ukrainian museum workers from the end of the 19th century till now. At this time, active museum life unfolded on Ukrainian lands, and activists sought to outline the museum's mission. The idea of this concept was modified given the change in the political situation. Special requirements for the museum as a tool of propaganda existed within the framework of the Soviet socio-political system. After Ukraine declared independence, theorists and practitioners of the museum business primarily evaluated the museum as an institution of social memory, indicating this direction's importance for Ukrainian civil society. As an official representative of the Ukrainian museum community, the Presidium of the ICOM of Ukraine draws attention to the need to preserve the existing concept's critical characteristic against the current debate's background. At the same time, ICOM Ukraine warned that purely formal compliance with functional criteria does not prevent the transformation of museums into a tool of propaganda. Russia's cynical war against Ukraine in 2022 demonstrates that this is what must avoid at all costs.