Micromuseums
Overview
- Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
- Convenor and tutor: Prof Fiona Candlin
- Assessment: a 5000-word essay (100%)
Module description
It is estimated that 75% of the world’s museums opened after World War II. In the UK, the number of museums more than tripled between 1970 and 2000. These new museums covered a diverse range of subjects from Bakelite to bunkers, lifeboats to local history, and witchcraft to Quaker tapestry. By far the majority were independent, over half were small in that they attracted less than 10,000 visitors a year, and most were founded by community and special interest groups. Unlike local authority or national museums, they were often located in small towns or in rural areas. In many cases, they actively told the story of those places.
This new wave of ‘micromuseums’ changed the profile of the museum sector. In this module we will visit micromuseums and examine some of their key characteristics, considering the implications for definitions of museums, museum practice and the production of culture.
Indicative syllabus
- The museums and heritage boom
- Professional definitions of museums
- Founding a museum
- Points of view
- Community histories
- Inclusion and exclusion
- Writing micromuseums
- Location, location
- Closing the museum
Learning objectives
By the end of this module, you will have:
- an expansive conception of museum practice
- a grasp of 'history from below'
- critically reviewed key concepts in museum and heritage studies
- a nuanced understanding of how and why small museums are established
- a detailed knowledge of specific museums and of changes within the museum sector
- visited small museums and associated archives.