Det relevante museum : historie, hensigt, interesser, virkelighed og berettigelse

Abstract

The task for this master thesis, is to investigates the role of open-air museums have had on communities in Scandinavia. I do this through a comparative analysis of two museums, Jamtli in Österund, Sweden and Vest-Agder Museum Kristiansand, Norway. I look at how knowledge, interpretation and portrayal is disseminated in these museums, and examines how use of difficult topics are shown. I examine how the open-air museums occur, how they evolve and how they are in response to contemporary needs. In addition, I analyze these museums into a social context, and here I use my own theory which I have dubbed the museological-political complex. It makes me explain how museums and especially open-air museums are part of a three-consensus: Government, public and museum, where it is structurally very difficult for open-air museum to develop and break out of. I go into impulses and am inspired by the available literature, but I am also using interviews with visitors, employees, historians and other relevant persons in order to refine and give a broad insight into a complex area like this. There is existing research about museums, but they tend to be about communication, pedagogy, how to handle objects and other studies of a more practical nature. That's why this project is a relatively new field of research which I hope can contribute to further research in this area. I take a closer look at Norway and Sweden's official cultural policy in this area and examines why these museums have - and looks like they do in modern times. Many of these museums also show a desired self-image of what you think society should look like. There is a thread from open-air museums and right up to today. I point out to the end, in my conclusion-chapter, that the museum and open air museum is too important a thing to leave it in that role as it has now become in modern Western societies. As a forgotten thing, where large segments of the population never comes and who suffer from many people's prejudices a dull place with no relevance to themselves. I describe the importance of a museum role as an intellectual factor of the nation and draw a paralel from the neglecting of museums to the neglect of democracy.