About New Museology

The term 'new museology' has been introduced in museological literature at
at least three different times at three different places. The use of the
term is connected with the changing role of museums in education and in
society at large. Current museum practices are considered obsolete and the
whole attitude of the professional is criticized. The profession is urged to
renew itself in the perspective of a new social commitment. As such the term
'new museology' was first introduced in the United States in 1958 by Mills
and Grove in their contribution to S. De Borghegyi's book "The modern museum
and the community".  The second time was in 1980 by the French museologist
Andre Desvallees in his article on museology for the supplement of the
"Encyclopaedia Universalis" (France). Finally, in 1989 the term was used as
the title of a book edited by Peter Vergo (United Kingdom).

It is the French concept of 'museologie nouvelle' that gradually became
recognized as on of the main streams within museology. The term has been
monopolized by two related organizations: the Association Museologie
Nouvelle et Experimentation Sociale (MNES), founded in 1982 in France, and
the Movement Internationale pour la Museologie Nouvelle (MINOM), founded in
1984. MINOM is an international organization affiliated with ICOM. Its aim
is more or less as Sandy Kaul has described (24 Sept. 1996).

Dr Peter van Mensch
senior lecturer of theoretical museology and museum ethics
Reinwardt Academie
Dapperstraat 315
1093 Amsterdam
(the Netherlands)

tel.     +31 20 6922111
fax      +31 20 6926836
e-mail   [log in to unmask]