Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

In my paper, I deal with some issues concerning the relationship between museums and political power. I am researching to find out if museums can and should be independent from the current political direction pursued by authorities at various levels. Should museums stay in an apolitical autonomy or rather be tools of exercising authority? If they are treated as tools of this kind (and an evidence of this can be seen throughout history) they can lose their credibility and could betray the ideal of searching for the truth and displaying the results of museum activities falsing reality, in a way. It is incompatible with the museum mission implied in the ICOM’s definition of the museum, but also with people’s expectations. The empirical base for the study consist of interviews with retired and active directors of museums in Poland, where relationships between museum institutions and political authorities are often the reason for conflicts and friction. Unfortunately, in such situations (examples of Polish museums will be given), museums become the cause of exclusion rather than inclusion and fostering the development of creative relationships.