Museernas roll i samhället : En intervjustudie av Stockholms stadsmuseum, Länsmuseet Gävleborg och Världskulturmuseet

Sammanfattning: This is a two year master's thesis in the field of museum and cultural heritage studies. The purpose of the thesis is to examine different opinions among museum employees about the role of museums. The thesis also aims to find out to what extent and in what way these opinions are influenced by the museum's own policy documents, the national cultural policy and the academic field of museum studies. I have conducted qualitative research interviews with six employees from three different cultural history museums. The theoretical framework of the thesis is based on Laruajane Smith's term authorized heritage discourse. According to Smith, there exists an au- thorized heritage discourse which dictates what heritage is, how it should be handled, and by whom. With this in mind I have identified the museums policy documents, the national cultural policy and the field of museum studies as authorized heritage discourses in their own rights which might influence the opinions of museum employees. To contextualize and further analyze these opinions, I have used a selection of museological research. The thesis concludes that there exists a broad spectrum of opinions about the role of museums. Most opinions are in one way or another influenced by the authorized heritage discourses that I have identified. The interpretation of these discourses, however, seem to differ between museums and between the interviewed employees. The most common standpoint is that museums exist to serve the public. How this is to be accomplished is interpreted in different ways. Some hold that the museums should provide a sense of community, others think that they should be places of learning and others that the museums should be able to make visitors reflect upon contemporary global issues.