Forord

• Published in: Nordisk Museologi
• Main Author: Hafsteinsson, Sigurjón Baldur
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Oslo Library 2016
• Subjects: Dewey; Reykjavík; Iceland
• Online Access: https://journals.uio.no/museolog/article/view/3173; https://doi.org/10.5617/nm.3173

In his keynote presentation at the ICOM/CECA 2009 annual conference in Reykjavík, Iceland, George E. Hein argued that around the turn of the20th century, political leaders in the US, as well as scholars such as the pragmatist philosopher John Dewey, envisioned a democratic role for museums. Museums were perceived as places of significant potential for providing their guests with opportunities for learning about the benefits of the democratic ideal in human societies. Even if we are far removed from the early 20th century, Hein ́s presentation – and his published work, such as Learning in the Museum (1998) – reminds us about the importance of looking at contemporary ideas and programmes in museum education from both historical and theoretical vantage points. Historically, the pendulum of museum education has swung in relation to cultural and societal forces that have determined how and to whom its pedagogical activities should be addressed. By examining exam- ples of such activities, we learn what is possible – and what can fail, at times utterly and without exception.