摘要：Revaluating the roles of museums and the exhibitory complex in light of the presence of 'difficult' topics is necessary given that these matters invoke memory, emotions, attitudes, values and belief systems. Although museums now exist in a cultural and social context of contestation, and academics and museum practitioners have mused on these ideas, most conversations have been preoccupied with describing and deconstructing controversies or providing an introspective analysis of the emergence of museums as sites of controversy in the US context.
Despite these recent arguments, and the continuous reassessment since the emergence of the new museology, of what the museum does and for whom institutions speak, there lacks a theoretical, analytical and practical framework based on sustained research to understand the contemporary and future roles of museums in relation to these subjects. To this end, investigations necessarily require a rethinking of the way museums have engaged and connected with communities, stakeholders and media in the past and how these modes of engagement can be extended and transformed to embrace the special relationship required for the proper engagement of potentially controversial subjects.
This paper presents an overview of some of the multifarious and overlapping issues that impinge on museums as they engage with contentious topics drawing on preliminary research findings and case examples from a three-year Australian and international research project 'Exhibitions as Contested Sites - the role of museums in contemporary societ' (funded by the Australian Research Council with partners the University of Sydney History Department, the Australian Museum and the Australian War Memorial).
Here I investigate two broad questions. That is, how equipped are museums to deal with highly charged topics, responses and public criticism in a culture that has traditionally disengaged such emotions? And what roles can museums play in contemporary debates, and in representing difficult histories and taboo topics?
First, I explore the form and content of contentious topics in order to deconstruct why these topics - divisive, emotional and opinion-based, are so difficult to represent. Second, I examine museums’ responses to contentious topics and the curatorial practices employed to deal with this subject matter, using case examples and observations from qualitative research undertaken with museum staff at institutions in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and UK. I then test and critique these practices against community needs and expectations of museums, drawing on current qualitative research. Finally I propose and discuss new models of engagement for museums around contentious topics, utilising preliminary findings from omnibus surveys and focus group discussions with community groups in the Australian context.
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