Det mangfoldige museet

In this PhD thesis, I analyse the different ways in which museums incorporate experiences and knowledge we call lived experiences. This includes individuals? or communities? personal stories, but also other types of knowledge that are not academically based or recognised. I define lived experiences as non-formal knowledge based on people?s own empirical experiences, ways of life or local knowledge. The use of lived experiences in museum work aims at broadening the perspectives of the museum by adding narratives and practices, often developed outside of the museum?s formal structures. The incorporation of lived experiences in museums is often a result of collaboration between museums and their communities and can take the form of individual or collective knowledge. At the same time, the use of lived experiences can give communities a direct voice in museum displays and programmes that does not depend on formal collaboration between the museum and its communities. The use of video- and audio-stories, where victims of war, conflict, and other difficult subjects present their stories and experiences, are examples of lived experiences used in museums. Lived experiences should not be viewed as a challenge to academic knowledge represented at the museum, but as knowledge or experiences that work together, as an important addition to formalised or academic knowledge. Although I am generally interested in how lived experiences are used in museums, the focus of my dissertation is primarily on the impact lived experiences have on museum visitors. In my research, I study two cases, which show how lived experiences are used in curatorial work and in educational programmes in museums that aim to counter prejudices in visitors and in wider society. I explore and analyse issues that arise when museums value lived experience over or alongside more established (typically academic) sources of expertise. The selected museum cases are ?The Centre of 22nd of July? in Oslo, Norway, and ?Museo Casa de la Memoria? in Medellin, Colombia. I give examples of how these museums use lived experiences in different ways, and how this is perceived and interpreted, primarily by museum visitors, but also by staff and victims. The findings of this research suggest that the incorporation of lived experiences in museum work adds an important dimension to the programmes and exhibitions we, as museums, present to our visitors. The use of lived experiences tends to evoke affect and emotions - something that makes visitors identify with individuals and, hopefully also prompts them ultimately to act against injustices, violence, and prejudices.

En større bevissthet rundt erfaringsnær kunnskap og hvordan dette brukes i museer. Institusjoner som er opptatt av medvirkning som metode vil kunne finne inspirasjon til hvordan ulike stemmer kan brukes i ulike formidlings- og samarbeidsprosjekt.

Anno museum avdeling Glomdalsmuseet har i snart tjue år hatt en permanent satsing på kulturelt mangfold gjennom avdelingen Latjo drom, romanifolkets/taternes kultur og historie og flerkulturelt senter. Våre erfaringer fra samarbeidet med Romanifolket/taterne i avdelingen Latjo drom er at romanifolkets/taternes egne erfaringsnære kompetanse er et viktig bidrag i arbeidet vårt. Etter å ha jobbet med denne problematikken lenge ønsker Glomdalsmuseet å få en forskningsbasert tilnærming til dette tema. Ønsket er derfor å se hvordan andre museer integrerer denne type kunnskap i sitt arbeid. Gjennom to forskjellige case studier i henholdsvis 22. juli sentret i Oslo, Norge og i "Museo Casa de la memoria" i Medellin i Colombia,undersøker Møystad hvordan ulike museer bruker erfaringsnær kunnskap i formidlings- og utstillingsarbeid. På hvilken måte kan bruk av erfaringsnær kunnskap, det vil si kunnskap basert på folks egne erfaringer (særlig personlige historier) bidra til å endre fordommer vil være det mest sentrale spørsmålet. Gjennom bruken av erfaringsnær kunnskap kan museene bli mer demokratiske og forhindre et etnosentrisk og museumsentrert syn, som kun er basert på kunnskapen til konservatoren eller formidleren på museet. Det er inngått et samarbeid med University of Leicester som vil fungere som gradsgivende institusjon. Leicester har i økende grad utmerket seg som det ledende fagmiljøet når det gjelder museets samfunnsrolle.