Contribution short abstract:

This paper addresses how public rage enacted in, and directed at, museums can be turned into constructive dialogues facilitating democratically sustainable dissensus rather than increased polarization.

Contribution long abstract:

In recent years, museums have faced increasing challenges from the rise of polarization around cultural values. Right wing extremism and populism, including hostility toward LGBTQIA+, gender and diversity perspectives, and iconoclast climate and anti-racist movements are but a few examples of forces currently using the museum as an arena for political rallying in the public sphere. Meanwhile, museum educators often become positioned as the public faces of the museum, tasked with the difficult quest to promote and preserve democratic values in the meeting with often-upset visitors.

Drawing on an interview study with 32 Swedish museum educators, this paper discusses experiences with hate occurring in meetings between educators and audiences. It explores how polarization emerges in educational settings and aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how educators navigate and address highly politicized topics. An ambition for the paper is to discuss how museums can move from safe spaces to “brave spaces” (Arao & Clemens 2013), facilitating dissensus rather than censoring themselves or silencing uncomfortable discussions.