Title: Social Inclusion, the Museum and the Dynamics of Sectoral Change
Abstract: . A growing body of research into the social role and impact of museums suggests that engagement with the concepts of social inclusion and exclusion will require museums - and the profession and sector as a whole - to radically rethink their purposes and goals and to renegotiate their relationship to, and role within, society. In short, if museums are to become effective agents for social inclusion, a paradigmatic shift in the purpose and role of museums in society, and concomitant changes in working practices, will be required. Though the focus of this paper, the instigation of change, draws upon government policy development and research within the UK context, a consideration of the relevance of the concept of social inclusion to the museum highlights the broader, international relevance of this discussion. Understandings of Social Inclusion and Exclusion The concepts of social exclusion and inclusion have generated multifarious understandings depending on the environment within which they have been applied or considered. As complex, multi-layered concepts the ways in which they have been appropriated and interpreted within various contexts (countries, theoretical traditions, professional arenas) have sometimes been startlingly different. For cultural organizations, the meaning, significance and implications of social exclusion and inclusion have been fluid, evolving and problematic. Within France, where the term originated, social exclusion has been used to describe a process of social disintegration, an erosion of the bonds between the individual, society and the state (Silver, 1995). Within this ideological framework, museums might be understood by some commentators to be positioned as agents of social reform, echoing interpretations of nineteenth century museums’ roles as civilizing instruments of the state. Indeed, some have interpreted the UK government’s recent policy initiatives as a disturbing attempt at social control 2 . This view undoubtedly merits further exploration, though this paper, drawing on recent conceptual and empirical research, adopts a less determinist view of the museum’s role in promoting social inclusion. It is argued here that museums and other cultural organizations have the potential to empower individuals and communities and to contribute towards combating the multiple forms of disadvantage experienced by individuals and communities described as ‘at risk of social exclusion’ 3 . Recent research suggests that museums can contribute towards social inclusion at individual, community and societal levels. At an individual or personal level, engagement with museums can deliver positive outcomes such as enhanced self-esteem, confidence and creativity. At a community level, museums can act as a catalyst for social regeneration, empowering communities to increase their self-determination and develop the confidence and skills to take greater control over their lives and the development of the neighbourhoods in which they live. Lastly, museums, through the representation of inclusive communities within collections and displays, have the potential to promote tolerance, inter-community respect and to challenge stereotypes. As agents of individual, community and societal