Our lives, our histories, our collections by Lola Young
An essay exploring the meaning of cultural diversity in the context of museums, and the role of museums as agents of change in taking forward various recommendations contained in reports on museums and cultural diversity.
Introduction
The aims of this essay are to:
- Summarise some of the main findings of a range of papers and publications on the subject of cultural diversity and museum collections;
- Give a brief overview of main policy recommendations in the field;
- Discuss strategies for addressing key issues relating to collections
More and more museums have begun to change what they do and how they do it in an attempt to diversify their visitors, staffing, volunteers and governing bodies. Yet there are still practitioners who are either not convinced of the need to change, or who feel they don’t have the knowledge or expertise to make the changes necessary. Others still are wary about getting their institutions involved in the sensitive, complex issues that may arise from projects designed to achieve transformation.
The extent to which the label of cultural diversity is a sufficient or appropriate term will be discussed later. In essence the debate about diversity is underpinned by an equality of opportunity agenda. The drivers for the changes required to achieve equality of opportunities for all citizens are multifaceted and in some respects, quite straightforward. It is common to refer to four distinct arguments in support of actively promoting diversity and equality:
- Legal – with legislation in place in Britain, and European Union Employment Directives there is a legal requirement actively to promote racial equality and to ensure that people with disabilities, women, lesbians, and gay men, and people who hold religious beliefs must not be discriminated against in the workplace;
- Intellectual – how can museums, as a significant component of the academic and educational community claim to uphold traditions of intellectual rigour and enquiry that nurture and expand our field of knowledge without engaging with the breadth of experiences and perspectives that comprise contemporary society?
- Ethical – the ethical case is really an issue of social justice and equalities. What is right and fair for all our communities? The museums sector is one where professional codes of ethics are standard. Equity and fairness should be enshrined in those principles;
- Business case – in London in particular, it is hardly credible that any organisation wishing to maximise its audiences, viewers or customers and make a sustained case for public funding and other kinds of support would wish to ignore the diverse communities that make up the city.
See essay pages: