On Mon, 23 Sep 1996, Maija Sedzielarz wrote:
> What is "new museology"?
> Thanks.

In the introduction to _The New Museology_ (1989), Peter Vergo defines the
"new" museology as NOT BEING the "old" museology, that the new museology
is characterized by a dissatisfaction with the old which he sees as a
preoccupation with museum methods, not museum purposes.  Carol Mayer, in
her dissertation "Metaphors and Ways of Seeing:  A study of the permanent
exhibition" (1995 Leicester), expands Vergo's definition by suggesting
that the old museology asked HOW we do what we do, while the new museology
is asking not only WHY we do it, but what are the consequences of how we
answer that question.  The new museology, then, may be seen as a shift
toward greater reflexivity and away from entrenched professionalisms.

Shifty, but it grows on you....

Kersti Krug
Museum of Anthropology, and
Interdisciplinary doctoral candiate
The University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada