ICOM International Council of Museums - Museo Estancia Jesuitica ...

The Museum is not transparent:
Engaging the Museum in Examination of its own
Role in the Production of History
Abstract
Jennifer Harris – Australia
The museum is not transparent: engaging the museum in examination of its own role in
the production of history
Many museums have given vigorous support to the principles of the New Museology
and have rethought hegemonic versions of history. This has resulted in widespread
reinvigoration of museums as they have become cultural leaders in contemporary
debates. However, most museums have continued to regard themselves as
transparent institutions and have not recognised their own role in the production of
history. They have not understood that their collecting and exhibiting practices have
had historic, moral and political dimensions. An examination of an exhibition in Western
Australia shows how this has functioned.
Résumé
Le musée n’est pas transparent : le institution du musée et son rôle dans le production
d’histoire
Beaucoup de musées ont donné leurs soutiens aux principes de la Nouvelle
Muséologie et ils ont reconsidéré les versions d’histoire hégémonique. Le résultat est
les musées vivifiantes qui sont devenus les chefs de culture dans les débats
contemporaines. Pourtant, la majorité des musées ont continué à se percevoir comme
des sites transparents, ils ont échoué à comprendre leurs rôles dans le production
d’histoire. Ils n’ont pas compris que leurs pratiques de collection et exposition ont eu
les orientations historique, morale et politique. Cette article analyse un exposition en
Australie Occidentale
Contemporary museology is attempting to wrest the museum from its role of transparent
presenter of history. In this role the museum has assumed itself to have an apolitical
position as it has displayed, exhibited and explained objects from the past without taking
into account its own complicity in history. The acts of collecting, choosing and displaying
artefacts have not been regarded as historic, moral and political. The institution of the
museum has regarded itself as transparent, simply a window onto history.
The contemporary problem posed by museology and history is two fold. The first
concerns views of history. In the last two decades museums have begun to adopt a
more problematic stance and, in many cases, exhibited alternative views to previously
hegemonic versions of history. However, these often dramatic changes have had the
effect of producing a smoothed over view of history which suggests that progress is
being made in the representation of history as the “wrong” view is replaced with the
“correct” view. Replacement of views does not necessarily foster debate as it appears
to replace an outdated “truth” with an up to date “truth”. This simple view is damaging
to the long term production of museums as sophisticated arenas for cultural debate.
The second problem emerges from the first. In switching view points, the political role
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