{"product_id":"museums-and-the-public-sphere-isbn-9781405173834","title":"Museums and the Public Sphere","description":"\u003ci\u003eMuseums and the Public Sphere\u003c\/i\u003e investigates the role of museums around the world as sites of democratic public space.  \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eExplores the role of museums around the world as sites of public discourse and democracy \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eExamines the changing idea of the museum in relation to other public sites and spaces, including community cultural centers, public halls and the internet \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOffers a sophisticated portrait of the public, and how it is realized, invoked, and understood in the museum context \u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eOffers relevant case studies and discussions of how museums can engage with their publics' in more complex, productive ways \u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e  List of Images vii  \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 The Public Sphere 15\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 Historical Discourses of the Museum 45\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 The Museum as Public Space 81\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 Audience, Community, and Public 118\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 The Museum as Public Intellectual 143\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion 164\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences 175\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments 191\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 193\u003c\/p\u003e  \"[Barrett]constructs a framework within which it is possible to both confront some startling realities about the gap between museums' purported ‘public' role and their efficacy and relevance in the ‘public sphere', and consider initiatives that might rectify this situation.\" (Visitor Studies Journal, 9 March 2012)  \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eJennifer Barrett\u003c\/b\u003e is the Director of Museum Studies at the University of Sydney, Australia, and currently collaborates with the University of Hong Kong on a museum studies program to support developments in their museum sector. She is the editor, with Caroline Butler-Bowdon, of \u003ci\u003eDebating the City: An Anthology\u003c\/i\u003e (2001).  \u003ci\u003eMuseums and the Public Sphere\u003c\/i\u003e investigates the role of museums around the world as sites of democratic public space. What are the many ways in which the museum is, or is not, public? How can the museum be understood as a critical sphere of public debate? How do museums facilitate, respond to, and intersect with wider public discourse? These questions are the key to understanding and redefining the very parameters of the museum.  \u003cp\u003eReworking the idea of the museum is critical in a world in which exhibition spaces compete with a host of other public fora – community cultural centers, public halls, and the Internet. \u003ci\u003eMuseums and the Public Sphere\u003c\/i\u003e examines the implications of a more complex understanding of how the public is realized, invoked, and understood in the museum context.\u003c\/p\u003e  “An elegant application of Habermas’ theory of the public sphere to museums, this book adds greatly to our understanding of the nature of public museums. The focus on the importance of spaciality and vision in the history of museums and public spaces is particularly enlightening.”   \u003ci\u003eAndrea Witcomb, Deakin University\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cp\u003e“Barrett tackles head on the assumption that the museum is a public institution. She artfully unravels the many publics of contemporary museum talk  – public space, public culture, public intellectual, public sphere. At last museum scholars and practitioners have a book that gives these terms historical specificity and theoretical precision. Museums and the public sphere is must read for any one who believes in museums, their relevance and their future.” \u003ci\u003eJane M. Jacobs, University of Edinburgh\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley-Blackwell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47989665759461,"sku":"NP9781405173834","price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781405173834.jpg?v=1761785019","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/museums-and-the-public-sphere-isbn-9781405173834","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}