Paper short abstract:

Museum objects as lived religion. Displaying material religion over time (A case study of Greek museums)

Paper long abstract:

Can museums affect the way we understand religion? Is religion a possible exhibition display? But whose religion? How we define and communicate in the museum the religious material culture of ancient communities? Are there "good" practices?

These and other issues emerged during the PhD research of the undersigned regarding the methods museums adopt (especially Greek museums - national and also public and private art museums), when displaying and (re-) interpreting the religious material culture of their diachronic collections.

Examining in detail various museums and exhibitions (objects exhibition contexts of archaeological, byzantine, Jewish, Islamic collections) and interpretations (texts and language), the research, unfolds the basic issues and the deficiencies related to the exhibition and interpretation of religious objects and religion in Museums today.

The results are based on an analytical registration and a close examination of the current situation and the ways curators choose to interpret and exhibit religious objects for their visitors, who are people of different age, education, status, background, race and religious belief. From the early stage of the research, the fundamental issues and difficulties arose as a challenge, leading the focus on specific scientific approaches such as:

- Identifying in the exhibition the religious object that, in generally, where not labelled as such.

- Defining the religious material culture through concepts that where often beyond archaeological knowledge and material culture theories, such as the philosophy of religion and theology.

- Integrating in a coherent scientific context of religious objects in museum both ancient and lived religions and relative topics such as pluralism, diversity, human rights, identity etc.

- Proposing a guideline of recommendations, a basic code of best practices related to religious objects and museum interpretation and exhibition.