Communities and Museums in the 21st Century

Communities and Museums in the 21st Century brings together innovative, multidisciplinary perspectives on contemporary museology and participatory museum practice that contribute to wider debates on museum communities, heritage, and sustainability. Set within the context of globalisation and decolonisation, this book draws upon bi-regional research that will enrich our understanding of the complex relationships between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean through museum studies and practice. Chapters reflect upon the role of museums in defining community identities; the importance of young people's participation and intergenerational work for sustainability; the role of museums in local development; and community-based museums and climate change. Contributors examine these issues through the lens of museum partnerships and practices, as well as testing the continued relevance of the notion of 'integral museum' and its relatives in the form of ecomuseums. With its focus on regional museums in Latin America and Caribbean, this book highlights how the case studies promote greater intercultural dialogue, global understanding and social cohesion. It also demonstrates how the methodology can be adapted to other communities who are facing the perils of climate change and unsustainable forms of development. Communities and Museums in the 21st Century proposes creative and sustainable strategies relevant to a globalised future. With its focus on global societal challenges, this book will appeal to museologists and museum practitioners, as well as those working in heritage studies, cultural studies, memory studies, art history, gender studies, and sustainable development. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license

Karen Brown is Professor of Art History at the University of St Andrews, UK. Alissandra Cummins is Director of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society and lecturer and coordinator in museum and heritage studies at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. Ana S. González Rueda is a researcher focused on critical approaches to learning in contemporary art curation.

Preface; Introduction: Museum communities / community museums; PART I, 'Community Museums: Nurturing identities and resilience' - Chapter 1, "Community museums and decolonisation: reflections from the Network of Community Museums of America"; Chapter 2, "International collaboration between ecomuseums and community museums: the experience of the EU-LAC Museums bi-regional youth exchange in fostering identity, building community sustainability and resilience"; Chapter 3, "Passion as a mobilising tool for community-based museums: case studies from Southern Chile"; Chapter 4, "Museums and Community Engagement in Belize: case studies for protection and active participation of knowledge"; Chapter 5, "The EU-LAC Museums project and community-based museums";Chapter 6, "Museums as tools for sustainable community development: a study of four archaeological museums in northern Peru; Chapter 7, "Connecting Museums through Citizen Science: Jamaica/US Partnership in Environmental Preservation";Chapter 8, "Evoking wonder to inspire action around climate change - a collaborative exhibition project in the Cayman Islands"; PART II 'Connecting Regions: Communities and museums co-curating heritage and memory' - Chapter 9, "The case for a rhizomatic research approach in Caribbean museology"; Chapter 10, "Co-curating memory: deconstructing the silences around Caribbean migration to Britain"; Chapter 11, "A case study of community virtual museums in the age of crisis designing a virtual museum of Caribbean migration and memory"; Chapter 12 "Eco-museology in artistic practice: post-colonial strategies of collective return in Latin America and the Caribbean"; Chapter 13, "Exhibition-making as storytelling: the 14th FEMSA Biennial in Michoacán Mexico"; Chapter 14, " The Arrivants exhibition: Art, migration, museums, and resurrections"; Chapter 15, "The politics of change: new pedagogical approaches to Caribbean museology, conservation and curatorship"