Critical reflections on the “vernacular museum”

Abstract

The article presents a critical discussion of the essay, “Vernacular Museum: Toward the Definition of the Concept” (Vernakuliarnyi muzei: k opredeleniiu poniatiia), by I.S. Sleptsova (Kyzlasova) and E.G. Chesnokova who argue in favor of introducing a special term for the description of grassroot practices of museum building arising in today’s social contexts. Drawing on the uses of the term vernacular in various fields of humanities, the authors of the essay suggest that these grassroot practices be viewed as aimed at representing individual interests, as well as one of the ways of self-actualization. The contributors scrutinize and debate their arguments, examining the case within the broader context of museum studies.