Culture and Museums in the Winds of Change: The Need for Cultural Indicators

Abstract

How individuals live their lives, within the context of personal and collective values, expresses their living culture. Societies may be made up of people with different ethnocultural backgrounds, socio-economic profiles or spiritual orientations, but they share certain common cultural frameworks (e.g., democratic governance, rules of law, conventions of business, principles of equity for all, etc.) of what is increasingly a globalized, pluralized, and urbanized present. Culture is often thought of as either the historical traditions of a group, or else as certain types of activities (e.g., dance, theatre, celebrations, rituals, etc.) and objects (e.g., art, artifacts, clothing, etc.). Meanwhile, cultural organizations are characterized as specialized places of expertise that provide selected kinds of experiences and services to the publicnormally available for consumption during leisure time. This article argues that the heart of living culture is to be found not in specialized types of objects, leisure-time experiences, ethnocultural traditions, or cultural organizations but, rather, in its processes of human adaptation in a changing world. The author uses the lens of culture to examine how humanity understands and attempts to manage change within its sphere of influence. How can we best measure the cultural well-being of our societies, our organizations, and ourselves? The overarching notion of global/local sustainability provides the grounding point for considering how best to foster a ‗culture of sustainability'. organisations culturelles se sont constituées en des espaces sociaux où qui procurent certaines expériences and services au public -normalement disponible sous forme de loisir à consommer. Cet article suggère que la culture ne se réduit pas aux artefacts, aux loisirs, aux traditions ethnoculturelles ou encore aux organisations culturelles, mais plutôt, elle serait reconnaissable dans les processus d'adaptation à un monde changeant. Les auteurs utilisent la notion de culture pout comprendre comment l'Humanité appréhende et tente de changer sa sphère d'influence. Comment pouvons-nous mesurer le bien-être culturel de nos sociétés, de nos organisations et de nos êtres? La question centrale du développement global et du développement local représente le point d'ancrage de cette réflexion sur les stratégies permettant de créer une culture du développement durable.

Fostering Cultures of Sustainability through Community-Engaged Museums: The History and Re-Emergence of Ecomuseums in Canada and the USA

“…This is in keeping with discussions that define culture as a pervasive and evolving suite of values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours [14,15,[24][25][26][27], as opposed to equating it with activities that generate economic activity through the cultural sector [28][29][30]. We also assume that, defined in broad terms, culture can provide an effective perspective for sustainability work, because it is rooted in the values that drive our individual and collective behaviours, and it responds and contributes to the complex systems that govern so much of our increasingly globalized world [24].…”

“…As trusted cultural institutions, museums use community engagement both to shape public policy [8,9] and for public education [10][11][12]. There are many ideas about how museums can better engage their publics to enhance wellbeing, and some of these ideas have deep roots in museology, including writings and projects that focus on community engagement and the relevance of heritage work to human lives and global demands [13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

“…We also assume that, defined in broad terms, culture can provide an effective perspective for sustainability work, because it is rooted in the values that drive our individual and collective behaviours, and it responds and contributes to the complex systems that govern so much of our increasingly globalized world [24]. At the same time, by exerting considerable pressure on the ways we act in the world, old cultural habits can die hard, resisting change that is required in a rapidly transforming world [15]. It follows that events and opportunities that encourage cultural reflection are needed at both individual and collective levels, if humanity is to remain in sync with the changing world.…”

What makes a museum attractive to young people? Evidence from Italy

“…Caught in the wind of change (Worts, ), museums are slowly adapting their mission, vision, and organizational processes to increase their ability to attract and engage a larger audience (Alexander, Alexander, & Decker, ). Beyond education and cultural heritage awareness promotion, entertainment is included among the main purposes of museums (Booth & Powell, ).…”

Evaluating Troy Museum as Mixed Realıty Virtual Museum With Mıxed Visuality Method

“…Literatürde birçok farklı çalışma söz konusu anlamlar üzerinden müze kavramını değerlendirerek fonksiyonlarına açıklık getirmektedir. Bir kurum olarak müzelerin en temel fonksiyonları taşıdıkları kültürel anlamlar ile ilgilidir (Herreman, 1998;Wali, 1999;Bennett, 2006;Worts, 2011). Müzelerin kültürel fonksiyonu, evrensel ya da ulusal düzeylerde barındırdığı kültürel varlıkların değerleri, insanlık tarihine ışık tutmaları ve kültürel çeşitliliği muhafaza etmeleri ile sahip oldukları anlamlar ile açıklanmaktadır (bkz tablo 1).…”