Museums as places of people, time, and memory: the intersection of place and history

Abstract

"Museums today are more than custodians of the past; they are active spaces where history, identity, and memory intersect. This book explores how contemporary museums navigate social change, technological innovation, and evolving cultural narratives. Through a diverse range of essays, scholars examine themes of place-based identity, community engagement, and the impact of digital transformation on museum practices. Case studies include house-museums, national memorials, industrial museums, mobile museum initiatives, and virtual heritage spaces in the Metaverse, offering insights into how institutions foster inclusivity, representation, and heritage preservation. Essential reading for museum professionals, cultural historians, and scholars of memory studies, this volume provides a timely reflection on the evolving role of museums as spaces of dialogue, learning, and social change."--Publisher's website.

Contents

Part 1. Theoretical foundations and emerging concepts--place, identity, and memory in museums. Editorial. Museums--places of people, time, and memory : an exploration of the intersection of place and history / Jitka Cirklová. -- 1. Reading the stories of house-museums through transpositions / Hatice Sule Ozer, Arif R Wahid, Jonathan Hale and Laura Hanks -- 2. Living museum concept as a community led approach for conserving tangible and intangible heritage of ancient cities : Muziris as a case / Ann Hubert and Manoj Kumar Kini -- 3. Slavín : a study of place, memory and identity / Václav Liška -- 4. The role of materiality in a Deaf community and its future : the case of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada / Judith Joel. -- Part 2. Museums as active participants in cultural narratives. 5. Ongoing cultural narratives : 'authentic' or 'activated' industrial museums in the UK / Xijing Chen, Jonathan Hale and Laura Hanks -- 6. Taking the museum to the people : cultural heritage, community engagement, and postwar Poland's Museobus / Leah Reilly Sherman -- 7. Rethinking the role of museums : a space of impressions and history brought to life / Jitka Cirklova. -- Part 3. Interdisciplinary approaches and future directions. 8. The role of digital technology in the Ithra Museum as a cultural heritage preservation institution in Saudi Arabia in showing the Saudi identity through the collective memory / Rabab Almalki -- 9. A phantom museum? / Eduardo Terán -- 10. Museums as multivocal platforms : enhancing community practices through digital technology / Alessandra Miano -- 11. Bringing slavery history into contemporary focus / Paul Longley Arthur and Isabel Smith -- 12. Combatting nihilistic perspectives in contemporary virtual museums of the Metaverse / Haitang Zhang -- Concluding thoughts. The future of museums at the intersection of place and history / Jitka Cirklová.