"Will you join the discussion?" Thinking about museums on the pages of Czech museum periodicals (1989-2021)
Abstract
The analysis based on the leading Czech museum periodicals from 1989-2021 explores the understanding of the phenomenon of the museum. The conclusions show the lack of advanced discussion about the museum's role during this period.
Most museum workers are only concerned with practical problems; they are unwilling to reflect on their work critically, and their idea of the museum is based primarily on physical collections. There is an evident distance between the narrow circle of active theorists in the academic environment and the reserved majority of curators and conservators in the regional museums.
This majority does not participate in public discussions, and because of that, its opinions and arguments are more implicit in the analyzed texts. Many published articles are concerned with the history of concrete museum collections, buildings, and significant personalities.
The authors frequently underlined the long and rich tradition of Czech museums. However, their perspective lacks a necessary reflective examination (i. e. the museum as an institution and a building with a long history but without a precisely defined position in contemporary society).
Review of new exhibitions is a long-neglected genre, often replaced with abstracts or notices. During the last few years, the situation has been improving due to some impulses of new museology and educational turn (i. e. the museum as a responsive and accessible institution to the local community).