Book Review: Museums and societal collapse: the museum as lifeboat

Citation

Morgan J (2024) Book Review: Museums and societal collapse: the museum as lifeboat. Museums & Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.1080/15596893.2024.2318915

Abstract
First paragraph: Janes’ book tackles an established theme within critical museological scholarship and practice: the potential for museums to flourish as institutions with social purpose. For readers familiar with his extensive writing from 45 years of experience as a museum director, museologist, archaeologist and ethnographer, this latest book continues questioning “the conventional wisdom of mainstream museum practice,” addressing running themes of social responsibility, ethics, activism, change management, decolonization, and organizational design (p. 2). Yet, Museums and Societal Collapse is absolutely of the present, offering a new provocation. The book's premise is that museums operate in a world facing the imminent threat of societal collapse, or “the ending of our current means of sustenance, shelter, security, pleasure, identity and meaning” (Bendell & Carr 2019 cited on p. 4; also pp. 32–35). For Janes, museums as key civic resources have a moral and ethical duty to use their potential, “as a multifaceted force for good” (p. 1), to assist individuals, families, and communities to mitigate and adapt to disruptions of societal collapse.

Journal
Museums & Social Issues

People

Dr Jennie Morgan

Senior Lecturer in Heritage, History