Museums and Social Justice

MUSEUMS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
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Introduction
Museums have to exhibit historical representations of different communities and social groups. The community consultation strategy involves holding meetings and conducting discussions with the stakeholders, such as groups and communities, and arriving at a consensus. The heritage aspect of museums is undeniable, and the accurate representation of different heritage aspects is essential. Museums also serve to educate communities on the various heritage aspects of other communities or the ones within which they live (Crooke, 2010). Raison d'être of Museums refers to the mandate of educating and shaping the collective values and understandings of society (Watson, 2007). Museums can govern and regulate social values as well as the attitudes that define citizenry. Such values may also represent different groups and diverse cultural identities (Witcomb, 2003). The sense of community consultation is evident as it helps maintain credibility and the relevance of museums. The socially accepted representations by museums are credible and reliable in different aspects. Notably, there are different museums, ranging from arts, music, artifacts, and many more. Generally, the historical connections of museum exhibitions have a connection with the various social injustices that occurred in the past. For instance, different museums around the world display the trans-Atlantic slave trade. They clearly show the atrocities that Africans endured before they were forcefully bundled together in small ships. This paper examines the debate on whether museums should engage in activism and social justice.
Museums and Activism
Museums act as institutions of representation, and they play a critical role in social justice and activism. Based on Nancy Fraser’s arguments, museums play a critical role in the struggles for social justice. The failure to recognize this critical role can cause tensions during the community consultation processes. Museums attempt to give balanced representations of the historical events that took place in ancient times. A good example is the search for political recognition and social justice by most African-Caribbean individuals who lost their identities based on the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. These communities manage to conserve their history and pass the knowledge on to their newest generations through museums' conservation approaches. The conservation of their heritage can only maintain the struggle for social justice for these communities.
There is a spurt in growth in the number of museums concerned with social justice over the last half-century. Notably, the increase does not justify these institutions' acceptability and validity, but they indicate growing interest.
However, the museums' increasing claims of having to demonstrate their social worth are the driving forces that beget the question of social justice and activism. Some debates do not support museums' involvement in social justice, arguing that the idea of social justice is way beyond museums' capabilities. The move appears to discourage museums from addressing...