Information and Knowledge Society

Amateur museum practices: Leisure, myth, and ritual. Seven case studies from Catalonia and a contrast case from Colombia

Doctoral Programme on the Information and Knowledge Society
25/09/2017

Author: Mariona Moncunill Piņas
Programme: Doctoral Programme on the Information and Knowledge Society
Language:  English
Supervisor: Dr Natālia Cantķ Milā
Faculty / Institute: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3)

Key words: Museology, practice, leisure, sociology

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Abstract:

Amateur museums are museums that are run as leisure pursuits by their makers. These museums have generally been omitted from current museology research. However, because of their specificities, they give us the opportunity to question relevant issues about the museum as an institution, the aim of its practices, the way in which individuals can relate to museums and the role that they might have in our societies. I approach amateur museum practices through a qualitative methodology based on the grounded theory. Seven case studies from Catalonia and a contrast case from Medellin (Colombia) comprise the corpus of this research. All cases have been approached through participant observation, in-depth interviews and documental analysis.