In Museums, Equality and Social Justice, our collection of essays by leading practitioners and thinkers in the field, Richard Sandell and I argue that museums, galleries and heritage organisations have the capacity to shape, as well as reflect, social and political relations.
We also believe they can have a positive impact on people who have experienced discrimination and prejudice. We believe that museums can contribute towards more equitable societies. There is evidence of this in impressive examples of where museums have taken moral stands on human rights issues.
Such examples include the engagement of museums in Taiwan with human and indigenous rights movements since the fall of the military dictatorship in 1987 that had sought to repress differences; the involvement of Australian museums in aboriginal struggles over land reform; and of the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow in lending support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights, building on previous programmes that examined violence against women, and religious sectarianism.
Such institutions can become, to use the anthropologist Howard Morphy’s term, “sites of persuasion”, reconfiguring normative moral codes and conventions at a local and global level.
But we are far from realising this potential. Some argue for applying the human rights framework more widely. Cultural rights – to have one’s own culture recognised and to engage with other cultures – have largely been ignored by museums and governments.
Such work is not dependent on short-term fixes, but on more fundamental transformative processes that remove barriers to change.
These range from the need for bold leadership at all levels and integrating social justice and equality objectives into the planning and daily business of the organisation – from what we collect to the public programmes we offer to how we communicate with our public.
An outward-looking museum or gallery that develops consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders is more likely to be successful than those that draw solely on internal expertise and resources.
American artist Fred Wilson criticises mainstream institutions for their lack of risk-taking and for having lost their nimbleness, urging museums to listen to those lower in the hierarchy.
Journalist Gary Younge highlights the struggle between those who occupy the “core” and those at the “margins” who help define the mainstream. He argues that such a struggle can be both creative and transformative if people respect and meet each other halfway.
The challenges, especially within the present socio-economic context, are considerable and it is clear that there is no set formula. Certain social justice or equality issues, which can intersect, diverge or change over time, may be more important than others.
The context is crucial, and what is appropriate for Yarmouth will inevitably be different for Yemen. Addressing social justice issues will never be unproblematic or conflict-free.
We should perhaps all take a leaf out of Wilson’s book when he writes: “ I had a fire in the belly around issues of social justice because they directly affected me.”
With the growing evidence of how inequality and deprivation negatively affect cohesion, crime levels, economic viability and mental and physical wellbeing, I would maintain that issues of social injustice and inequality has an impact on us all.
We should all ignite our fires in our respective bellies to harness the potential that museums have to act as progressive agents of social change.
Eithne Nightingale is the head of equality and diversity at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Social justice is one of the themes at this year’s Museums Association conference (8-9 November, Edinburgh)
We also believe they can have a positive impact on people who have experienced discrimination and prejudice. We believe that museums can contribute towards more equitable societies. There is evidence of this in impressive examples of where museums have taken moral stands on human rights issues.
Such examples include the engagement of museums in Taiwan with human and indigenous rights movements since the fall of the military dictatorship in 1987 that had sought to repress differences; the involvement of Australian museums in aboriginal struggles over land reform; and of the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow in lending support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights, building on previous programmes that examined violence against women, and religious sectarianism.
Such institutions can become, to use the anthropologist Howard Morphy’s term, “sites of persuasion”, reconfiguring normative moral codes and conventions at a local and global level.
But we are far from realising this potential. Some argue for applying the human rights framework more widely. Cultural rights – to have one’s own culture recognised and to engage with other cultures – have largely been ignored by museums and governments.
Such work is not dependent on short-term fixes, but on more fundamental transformative processes that remove barriers to change.
These range from the need for bold leadership at all levels and integrating social justice and equality objectives into the planning and daily business of the organisation – from what we collect to the public programmes we offer to how we communicate with our public.
An outward-looking museum or gallery that develops consultation and collaboration with key stakeholders is more likely to be successful than those that draw solely on internal expertise and resources.
American artist Fred Wilson criticises mainstream institutions for their lack of risk-taking and for having lost their nimbleness, urging museums to listen to those lower in the hierarchy.
Journalist Gary Younge highlights the struggle between those who occupy the “core” and those at the “margins” who help define the mainstream. He argues that such a struggle can be both creative and transformative if people respect and meet each other halfway.
The challenges, especially within the present socio-economic context, are considerable and it is clear that there is no set formula. Certain social justice or equality issues, which can intersect, diverge or change over time, may be more important than others.
The context is crucial, and what is appropriate for Yarmouth will inevitably be different for Yemen. Addressing social justice issues will never be unproblematic or conflict-free.
We should perhaps all take a leaf out of Wilson’s book when he writes: “ I had a fire in the belly around issues of social justice because they directly affected me.”
With the growing evidence of how inequality and deprivation negatively affect cohesion, crime levels, economic viability and mental and physical wellbeing, I would maintain that issues of social injustice and inequality has an impact on us all.
We should all ignite our fires in our respective bellies to harness the potential that museums have to act as progressive agents of social change.
Eithne Nightingale is the head of equality and diversity at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Social justice is one of the themes at this year’s Museums Association conference (8-9 November, Edinburgh)
