Identity & Museum Practice: Promises, Practices, and a Broken Pipeline

Abstract

Acknowledging and representing identities in ways that connect with contemporary society is one of the most complicated, contested and perhaps critical challenges facing museums. To explore how museums are addressing that challenge, we turned to a source of research that is rigorous, cross- disciplinary and often grounded in contemporary ideas of museums as sites of social activism-doctoral dissertations and master’s theses. We analyzed almost a hundred studies and conducted interviews with 12 of the authors to explore how their research informed their practice. The studies demonstrate a range of ways that museums can and are engaging with complex ideas about identity, largely through exhibitions; occasionally through collections, collaborations, and programs; and only rarely through institutional operations. The studies position identity as core to museum work and perhaps an overlooked variable in the efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity. Drawing from different disciplines, they describe identity as complex, fluid, dynamic, and intimately related to both personal experiences and societal structures of power. The studies provide compelling arguments for why museums need to change the ways they address, acknowledge, and represent identities. These arguments fell into three categories: Opportunity, Responsibility, and Survival. Interviews identified barriers to entering or advancing within the field for individuals who encompass different life experiences and perspectives. Although a small sample, we believe their experiences demonstrate a broken career pipeline that may contribute to the lack of diversity in the field. We conclude that graduate student research may provide a unique catalyst for social change.