Att kalla sig museum – En studie av museibegreppet genom kritisk diskursanalys och performativitet inom i ett föränderligt fält
(2025) ABMM74 20251Division of ALM, Digital Cultures and Publishing Studies
- Abstract
- The Swedish Museum field has seen an emergence of new private actors who use the term museum, but whose operations often differ from the general museum sector, especially by moving away from collecting practices in favor of experiencebased concepts. This development could challenge the traditional view of museums, which have historically been defined in terms of collecting, conservation, research and mediation. Against this background, the study aims to examine how the concept of museum is defined by professionals in the field today; whether there is a shift in the self-image of public museums due to the emergence of new actors; whether the concept of the museum is undergoing change and why it is attractive for various operations to... (More)
- The Swedish Museum field has seen an emergence of new private actors who use the term museum, but whose operations often differ from the general museum sector, especially by moving away from collecting practices in favor of experiencebased concepts. This development could challenge the traditional view of museums, which have historically been defined in terms of collecting, conservation, research and mediation. Against this background, the study aims to examine how the concept of museum is defined by professionals in the field today; whether there is a shift in the self-image of public museums due to the emergence of new actors; whether the concept of the museum is undergoing change and why it is attractive for various operations to identify themselves as museums in the current climate. The study uses a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews with representatives from both public and private museum operations and organizations within the field. The material from the interviews is supplemented with a textual analysis of relevant governing documents such as the Swedish Museum Act (SFS 2017:563) and ICOM's museum definition. The analysis employs the theoretical frameworks of performativity theory, based on J.L. Austin's ideas about linguistic acts, and critical discourse analysis, inspired by Norman Fairclough, to examine how language shapes and changes the concept of the museum in a social context. By analyzing how different actors relate to existing definitions and practices, especially in relation to collecting as a performative practice, the study highlights how the use of the term "museum" itself can contribute to challenging and renegotiating its meaning and position within the field. The emergence of experiential actors and the increased emphasis on interactivity and "edutainment" within the field suggest that the museum concept is in flux and subject to social construction, where new practices and expectations from visitors can potentially put pressure on traditional museums to adapt. The study contributes to a greater understanding of the ongoing discussion about the role and identity of museums in a changing society. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9194449
- author
- Öjevall, Hanna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Calling oneself a museum, a study of the concept of museum through critical discourse analysis and performativity within a changing field
- course
- ABMM74 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Museology, Performativity, Critical Discourse Analysis, Museum as concept
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9194449
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-25 08:41:33
- date last changed
- 2025-06-25 08:41:33
@misc{9194449,
abstract = {{The Swedish Museum field has seen an emergence of new private actors who use the term museum, but whose operations often differ from the general museum sector, especially by moving away from collecting practices in favor of experiencebased concepts. This development could challenge the traditional view of museums, which have historically been defined in terms of collecting, conservation, research and mediation. Against this background, the study aims to examine how the concept of museum is defined by professionals in the field today; whether there is a shift in the self-image of public museums due to the emergence of new actors; whether the concept of the museum is undergoing change and why it is attractive for various operations to identify themselves as museums in the current climate. The study uses a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews with representatives from both public and private museum operations and organizations within the field. The material from the interviews is supplemented with a textual analysis of relevant governing documents such as the Swedish Museum Act (SFS 2017:563) and ICOM's museum definition. The analysis employs the theoretical frameworks of performativity theory, based on J.L. Austin's ideas about linguistic acts, and critical discourse analysis, inspired by Norman Fairclough, to examine how language shapes and changes the concept of the museum in a social context. By analyzing how different actors relate to existing definitions and practices, especially in relation to collecting as a performative practice, the study highlights how the use of the term "museum" itself can contribute to challenging and renegotiating its meaning and position within the field. The emergence of experiential actors and the increased emphasis on interactivity and "edutainment" within the field suggest that the museum concept is in flux and subject to social construction, where new practices and expectations from visitors can potentially put pressure on traditional museums to adapt. The study contributes to a greater understanding of the ongoing discussion about the role and identity of museums in a changing society.}},
author = {{Öjevall, Hanna}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Att kalla sig museum – En studie av museibegreppet genom kritisk diskursanalys och performativitet inom i ett föränderligt fält}},
year = {{2025}},
}