ISS 25 (1995).pdf - The International Council of Museums

English term is broader and includes all these
groups but also the public or society. This
ambiguity is obvious in given preprints for this
meeting, too. Both colleagues wh o presented the
summaries in Beijing made the conclusions which are
their own vision of the given relation between
museum and community. So J. A. Gjestrun suggested
the need of very different museums to fulfil various
aims, from creating the national identity to opening
wide possibilities, in becoming the part of the
reorganization of man ' s ideas of himself and his
sense of values i.e. his need to be a part o f
present time. not oriented only to the past. He also
accentuated the danger of ideological and other
kinds of oppressing the minority and other social
groups using the museum as an instrument o f the
national policy. D. Natteyne tried to find the
solution by analysing the relations among
collections, professionals and users. including
visitors. researchers and those who are deciding on
the conditions of the museum work . A. Desvallees
a ccentuated. in his final remarks. the necessity of
establishing 'community museums to be fulfilling
the needs of minority groups but also considering
the dangers of using museums as a political
instrument .
With such an introduction the Stavanger meeting
papers are repeating the same ambiguity that existed
in Beijing last year . Some of the authors of the
papers are trying to explain the general problem by
analysing examples taken from their own or their
country's practice (P. M. Raippalinna, J. Trudel, G.
Zaucha ). Some of them are trying to follow a
theoretical approach dealing with relation of museum
and society with the stress put on the community (E.
Antzoulatou-Retsila, M. Bellaigue, N. Ladkin, L.
Maranda, R. Montpetit, T. C. Sheiner) and there are
some who are trying to illustrate theoretical
statements relying on the practical examples (M.
Horta, H. Vieregg) .
The theoretical approach has a wide scope from
the identification of the problem of ideologization
of museum work and the span between pluralism and
nationalism (E. Antzoulatou-Retsila), over the
examination of the term 'community' ranging from
traditional communities and new individualism , and
the role of museums in such a situation ( M.
Bellaigue), all to the very interesting approach to
the concept of the community as an ecosystem and to
the interpretation of the term ' museum ecology' ( N.
Ladkin) . Not less interesting appear to be the
analytical approach to relations of community and
museums, using the term community in the sense of
social environment of museums ( L. Maranda ), as well
as to the role of museums in interpreting the
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