Paper Short Abstract:

This paper shares examples of museum exhibitions in which visitors can use (auto-)ethnographic methods to engage with the exhibitions’ contents. By analyzing those examples, the effects on museums and the role of academics trained in working with those methods will be discussed.

Paper Abstract:

Ethnographic methods are particularly characterized by their approach based on self-reflection and self-positioning (Clifford and Marcus 2010; Naples and Sachs 2009). Academics use this strength for a differentiated engagement with their objects of research. In addition, self-reflection is fundamental in transition processes, such as the institutional change towards more diversity and plurality, which we can observe in numerous museums now. Hence, the panel’s question on how ethnography within and with cultural institutions can contribute to developing spaces and imagining new perspectives that allow for diversity and plurality is crucial. In my paper, I argue that it is not only academics and professionals who can use ethnographic methods to help cultural institutions such as museums in their transition processes. Depending on the self-definitions of museums, their visitors or communities are an essential part of the institution; In some cases, they are even seen as the vivid body of the museum institution. I will present examples of museum practices that apply (auto-)ethnographic methods to empower museum audiences to engage with the exhibition in a more differentiated way, such as the Holding Emotions display at the London Museum Docklands. Moreover, I will discuss their potential to offer new perspectives and enable democratic change – however small it may be. Along with this, I suggest thinking about how we, as academics and methodological experts, can offer not only our knowledge of content but also our knowledge of methods and how we can improve the accessibility of ‘our’ methods for a wider audience.