Focusing on the museum as an institution, and its social and cultural setting, Sheila Watson examines how museums use their roles as informers and educators to empower, or to ignore, communities.
Looking at the current debates about the role of the museum, she considers contested values in museum functions and examines provision, power, ownership, responsibility, and institutional issues.
This book is of great relevance for all disciplines as it explores and questions the role of the museum in modern society.
Sheila Watson is a lecturer in the Department of Museum Studies, University of Leicester.