Perspective. Museums beyond neutrality

Evans, Henry James; Nicolaisen, Line Bruun; Tougaard, Sara; Achiam, Marianne

doi:10.5617/nm.8436

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Although we understand that OSSEIs do not wish to jeopardise their position as highly trusted and impartial, we would argue (alongside others, e.g. Evans et al 2020;Janes 2009; Janes 2015; Janes and Grattan 2019; Rodegher and Freeman 2019) that simply providing knowledge about science related to sustainability is not sufficient; it is, in effect, engaging the public in the science for sustainability, rather than science of sustainability (cf. Spangenberg 2011).…”

Section: Implications For Sustainability Educationmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Among other things, this complexity means that the versions of knowledge found in educational institutions are not always the optimal ones. For instance, Nicolaisen and Achiam (2020) found that an exhibition on space exploration had inadvertently 'inherited' the masculine gendering found in the scholarly domain of astronomy and space technology, even though the exhibition was intended for audiences across the gender spectrum. In another example, Bueno and Marandino (2017) showed how the specifics of a chosen exhibit format constrained how biodiversity-related knowledge about the Amazon could be embodied, to the point of undermining the notion of biodiversity itself.…”

Section: The Anthropological Theory Of Didacticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainability in out-of-school science education: identifying the unique potentials

Evans

Achiam

2021

Environmental Education Research

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Out-of-school science education institutions, such as museums, science centres, zoos and aquaria, have strong potentials to promote sustainability, yet seem to lack an operational definition of sustainability that aligns with their specific characteristics and institutional remit. Here, we use the anthropological theory of didactics to systematically develop such an operational definition, designated as the reference model. We draw on literature from research and practice to account for the features of sustainability science and policy, as well as the different specific strengths of out-of-school science education institutions, to identify unique potentials for sustainability education. These potentials are synthesised and illustrated in a set of institutionally specific guidelines that optimise the organisation of sustainability for each kind of out-of-school science education institution. We conclude by considering the implications of our findings for sustainability education.

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Section: Implications For Sustainability Educationmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: The Anthropological Theory Of Didacticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability in out-of-school science education: identifying the unique potentials

Evans

Achiam

2021

Environmental Education Research

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“…From their historical and mainly self-referential functions of preservation, communication, and research, they are gradually shifting their focus to more externally-oriented purposes and abandoning their authoritative stance in favour of more cultural and dialogic approaches to engagement (Achiam & Sølberg, 2017;Black, 2012). On the one hand, some argue that this transition is necessary for museums to remain relevant (Evans et al, 2020;Janes & Sandell, 2019), while, on the other hand, the shift makes some uncomfortable and even seems to contradict what many consider to be the ethos of museums. One measure of this discomfort is the failure of the planned revision in 2019 of the International Council of Museum's (ICOM) official definition of museums.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the same way, museum visitors in two US studies indicated that their trust in the museum was predicated on the neutrality of its messaging (American Alliance of Museums, 2021; Jones et al, 2020). For science museums, then, engaging with contentious topics runs the risk of compromising their public image as neutral and value-free, and undermining their trustworthiness (Evans et al, 2020;Navas Iannini & Pedretti, 2022). This state of affairs seems to disqualify science museums from being actors in the present post-truth climate.…”

Section: Science Museums and Post-truthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These practices, she writes, have "served as a useful tool to disguise institutional politicality, [and] frame institutional legitimacy and trust with audiences" (p. 340). But as we have discussed elsewhere, this position of feigned neutrality is no longer tenable (Evans et al, 2020). Just as there is an on-going public reckoning with the inequities of western science, many science museums are publicly confronting their own attempts at neutrality (Janes & Grattan, 2019;Janes & Sandell, 2019;Jones et al, 2020).…”

Section: Science Museums and Post-truthmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Ecosystem of Science Communication in the Post-Truth Era: Perspectives, Contexts, Dynamics

2024

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The chapters in this volume provide rich evidence of the increasing variety and cultural diversity of science communication practices across the world (Bucchi & Trench, 2021). Collectively, the science communication initiatives described here exemplify a range of progressive approaches, including dialogue, active engagement, learning-by-doing, and co-construction of knowledge, that in various ways reflect re-inventions or re-imaginings of science communication. In addition, this collection of work points to the inevitable conclusion that dialogue is necessary not just between science and society but also between science communication practitioners and researchers from different ecologies – countries, cultures, institutions and practices. We thus see this volume as a contribution to longitudinal studies of science communication across contexts, disciplines, purposes, and formats. Only in this way can the ecosystem of science communication continue to grow more diverse and self-reflective.

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Ethnicity and Gender in Museum Representations of Human Evolution

et al. 2022

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Scientific representations of human evolution often embrace stereotypes of ethnicity and gender that are more aligned with socio-cultural discourses and norms than empirical facts. The present study has two connected aims: to understand how ethnicity and gender are represented in an exhibition about human evolution, and to understand how that representation influences learners’ meaning making. First, we analysed an exhibition with realistic reconstructions of early hominids in a museum of natural history, to identify dualisms related to the representation of gender and ethnicity that have been recognised in research. Then, we studied the processes of meaning making in the exhibition during an out-of-school educational activity, in which groups of teenaged students explore and discuss the hominid reconstructions. Our results show that the exhibition displays human evolution in the form of a linear sequence from a primitive African prehistory to a more advanced European present. Behind this depiction of human evolution lies stereotypic notions of ethnicity and gender: notions that were incorporated into the students’ meaning making during the educational activity. When students noticed aspects of ethnicity, their meaning making did not dispute the messages represented in the exhibition; these were accepted as scientific facts. Conversely, when the students noticed aspects related to gender, they often adopted a more critical stance and challenged the representations from different perspectives. We discuss the implications of our findings for exhibit design and evolution education more generally. In doing so, we offer our perspectives on the design of learning environments to salvage inherently sexist, racist, imperial science.

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Perspective. Museums beyond neutrality

Cited by 8 publications

References 20 publications

Sustainability in out-of-school science education: identifying the unique potentials

Sustainability in out-of-school science education: identifying the unique potentials

The Ecosystem of Science Communication in the Post-Truth Era: Perspectives, Contexts, Dynamics

Ethnicity and Gender in Museum Representations of Human Evolution

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