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

The case of Norway
Maure: Mirror, window or showcase? The museum and the past
In Norway during the 19 th century, national identity was built on the rural heritage, that
is to say, the traditional culture of the farmers. During the past 100 years a very large
number of rural ethnographic museums / open-air museums has ruled the norwegian
museum system.
The museum development during the 1980s was marked by the occurrence of reaction
against traditional rural open-air museums. New models of museums - such as
ecomuseums - were created, emphasizing other heritages - the maritime heritage, the
industrial heritage, and the heritage of ethnic minorities (such as the Samis, also known
as Lapland people).
A mirror
Georges-Henri Rivière, the "father" of ecomuseums in France, defined the role of
museums as the following: “An( eco)museum is a mirror in which the local population
views itself to discover its own image, in which it seeks an explanation of the territory to
which it is attached and of the populations that have preceded it... It is a mirror that the
local population holds up to visitors” (“Ecomuseum - evolutive definition” 1985)
The concept of the mirror is an essential. The museum is a consciousness-raising
instrument for the community. It allows them to increase their knowledge of their own
history, and to become aware of the values it represents.
In this mirror, the community sees itself, recognizes itself, finds itself "beautiful" and learns
to love itself. This self-esteem is the necessary condition for learning to love "others".
A window
But the danger of using the mirror is to fall in love with one's own image, and to find
everybody else outside of the community "ugly" or inferior.
This is the problem with societies that are so convinced of their superiority and of their
own values that they show indifference, hostility and even aggressiveness to anything
that is foreign.
It is therefore necessary that museums should not be closed upon themselves. They
should also be a window, that is to say, an opening to the world outside that will invite
dialogue and exchange with the "others", the foreigners who visits the museum.
A showcase
Museums have a great potential for the development of activities in connection with
tourism.
This is, of course, extremely important for the economic development of the community.
If we look at tourism activities, the relations between the community and the visitor are
not based on a dialog between individuals and issues operating on the same level, but
on a monetary exchange, the sale and purchase of cultural products. The visitor is not a
guest but a customer. In this situation, museums are not a window, they are a showcase.
More and more museums in many countries are faced with the need to develop
commercial activities that require - among other methods - increasing the number of
visitors (thus tourism).
The question we must ask ourselves is how can this showcase function develop
without damaging the function of the mirror?
A museum must of necessity combine both the functions of the mirror and the window.
But can museums be both a mirror for the community and a showcase for tourism?
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