Bernadette T Lynch | University College London (original) (raw)

Papers by Bernadette T Lynch

Museum Worlds, 2023

This short piece describes the work of the international Solidarity in Action Network that Lynch ... more This short piece describes the work of the international Solidarity in Action Network that Lynch initiated in early 2021. The Network is a collaborative research network and online community which reflects on solidarity in practice through museums in partnership with activist organisations from around the world.

The Network comprises a mix of museum professionals; multi-disciplinary academics (committed to actively researching this subject) and activist, grassroots organisations. Most importantly, the discussion are, as much as possible, between the global north and south.

Museums and Social Change: Challenging the Unhelpful Museum, London and New York: Routledge, 2020

This is Bernadette Lynch's Introductory essay to the book Museums and Social Change: Challenging... more This is Bernadette Lynch's Introductory essay to the book Museums and Social Change: Challenging the Unhelpful Museum, 2020) Routledge, co-edited by Adele Chynowith, Bernadette Lynch, Sarah Smed and Klaus Petersen. This important new book in now available. For more information visit:www.routledge.com/9780367228019

Dr Bernadette Lynch (2019) in Museum Activism , edited by Robert R Janes and Richard Sandell, Routledge, 2019, 2019

Won't hold my tongue, won't hold the thought Won't hold the card, well, I'm gonna do something Oh... more Won't hold my tongue, won't hold the thought Won't hold the card, well, I'm gonna do something Oh my brain I got to complain Well, you can complain, but I'm gonna do something.

A mindmap of an online keynote lecture by Dr. Bernadette Lynch as a part of the international pro... more A mindmap of an online keynote lecture by Dr. Bernadette Lynch as a part of the international project “The Social Responsibility of Museums”, organised by the UKSW University in Warsaw, Friday, 19 March, 2021.

Dr Bernadette Lynch (2019) in Connecting Museums, edited by Mark O'Neill and Glenn Hooper (Routledge,), 2019

Lynch, B., 2017, ‘Disturbing the Peace: Museums, Democracy and Conflict Avoidance, pp.109-126,in Walters, D., Leven, D.and Davis, P. (eds), Heritage and Peacebuilding, Boydell Press, UK, 2017

A growing number of contemporary museums claim to face the world's troubles head on, embracing un... more A growing number of contemporary museums claim to face the world's troubles head on, embracing universal themes of suffering and injustice with empathy and humanitarianism. These museums use state-of-the-art media and digital technology to profile human conflict in the world within their exhibitions, in vivid colour, from war and human rights abuses to climate change and loss of species, sectarianism, migration, racism and the colonial past. Some high-profile exhibitions and entire institutions are exploring humanitarian issues of prejudice , colonialism and even genocide – almost to the point of what Didier Fassin calls 'competi-tive humanitarianism' (Fassin 2010). This is generating a growing body of literature on exhibitions tackling difficult subject matter (Bonnell

Lynch, B., 2017, ‘The Gate in the Wall: Beyond Happiness-making in Museums’, ,pp.11-29, in Onciul, B., Stefano, ,M.L., and Hawke, S., Engaging Heritage, Engaging Communities, Boydell Press, UK, 2017

A monkey was walking along a river and saw a fish in it. The monkey said, 'Look, that animal is u... more A monkey was walking along a river and saw a fish in it. The monkey said, 'Look, that animal is under water, he'll drown, I'll save him.' He snatched up the fish, and in his hand the fish started to struggle. And the monkey said, 'Look how happy he is.' Of course, the fish died, and the monkey said, 'Oh, what a pity, if I had only come sooner I would have saved this guy.' Traditional African parable, The Monkey and the Fish (Mia Cauto, cited in Gourevitch 2010) This paper challenges the museum's helping hand to others, and proposes that a radical shift .in approach is necessary.

Lynch, B., 2017, ‘Migrants, Museums and tackling the legacies of prejudice’,pp.225-242 in Museums in a time of Migration: Re-thinking museums’ roles, representations, collections, and collaborations, Johnson, C., and Bevlander, P.(eds), Nordic Academic Press, Sweden, 2017

Lynch maintains that there continue to be assumptions within the museum’s rhetoric of service, th... more Lynch maintains that there continue to be assumptions within the museum’s rhetoric of service, that silently conditions our perceptions in museum practice, particularly when it comes to migrant populations, that places the migrant in the role of passive ‘beneficiary’, thereby undermining self-empowerment. Thus, the museum avoids confronting issues of social inequality, prejudice, conflict, exclusion and economic and political powerlessness. Lynch points out how this might be changed in practice.

Lynch, B., 2016 ‘Good for you, but I don't care! " : critical museum pedagogy in educational and curatorial practice’, publication for .'DIFFERENCES' Symposium, University of the Arts, ZHdK, Zürich , 2016

The museum is failing…failing to support people's rights as active agents, much less

Lynch B., 2014, ‘Generally Dissatisfied: Hidden pedagogy in the postcolonial museum’, in THEMA, La revue des musees de la civilisation, Quebec, Vol 1 (1),79-92, 2014

This paper argues that residues of the colonial past continue to haunt the realities of the postc... more This paper argues that residues of the colonial past continue to haunt the realities of the postcolonial present
deep inside even the most progressive curatorial and public engagement practices in museums. We carry legacies of
resistance to change and prejudice towards others from diverse communities (including originating and diaspora)
that are embedded in the bricks and mortar of the museum. Examining case studies of committed and socially
engaged museum practice, the paper argues that the continuing evidence of dissatisfaction by both those on the
delivery and receiving end of museum engagement and participation practices has its roots in the museum’s identity
as an educational institution. The paper will show that a central weakness of postcolonial museum practice lies
in the centre/periphery role of museum pedagogy. Examining the lack of understanding of the “critical”, in the
critical pedagogy of the museum that undermines well-meaning partnerships and participation with communities
near and far, the paper also argues for a thorough review of engagement practices that may fundamentally
challenge the “learning” role of the museum and lead to a liberatory rather than conciliatory postcolonialism in
museum practice.

Museum Management and Curatorship, 2010

The world today seems to be conspiring against trust...Trust has been sentenced to a life of frus... more The world today seems to be conspiring against trust...Trust has been sentenced to a life of frustration Zygmunt Bauman 1

Following many requests, I have made my (copyrighted, unpublished) PhD thesis available.

Lynch, B., 2014, Our Museum: A Five Year Perspective from a Critical Friend, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, http://api.ning.com/files/HQSy6kXC6MrE3kr4K5-2cDLUFOI2Dxek8LOcATLX\*BgljrdNhnG5MycQ5-SzhvO945Hqgpcgq\*bNKQulMi9ki1qiZ0Ah8oUU/PHFOurMuseumAfiveyearperspective.pdf

Five years on following the publication of Dr Lynch's influential report 'Whose Cake is it Anyway... more Five years on following the publication of Dr Lynch's influential report 'Whose Cake is it Anyway?' for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF), Dr Lynch reflects on the impact of PHF's subsequent 'Our Museum' programme of change in museums.

Lynch, B. T. and Alberti S. J. M. M., 2010. Legacies of prejudice: racism, co-production and radical trust in the museum. Museum Management and Curatorship. 25:1, 13-35 , 2010

Museums have been complicit in the construction of physical and cultural hierarchies that underpi... more Museums have been complicit in the construction of physical and cultural hierarchies that underpinned racist thought from the Enlightenment until well into the twentieth century, in marked contrast to the inclusionary role that many now seek to fulfill. In Revealing Histories: Myths about Race (2007-2009) at the Manchester Museum, UK, a team from within and beyond the museum tried to address this uncomfortable history. They faced challenges and raised many questions: how to present such material honestly but sensitively? Could other voices be included without jeopardising the credibility of the museum? How can post-colonial arguments be made with a collection based on the spoils of empire?
And, finally, how are museums to escape the legacies of prejudice? Although well-intentioned, the actions of museum staff in realising the project - the authors included - exhibited unanticipated vestiges of institutional racism. Drawing on race and international development studies, this paper concludes that a more radical trust may be called for if UK museums are genuinely to collaborate with other groups on projects like this; to become spaces for democratic exchange, and to face up to their legacies of prejudice.

Lynch, B., 2011 ‘Custom-made reflective practice: can museums realise their capabilities in helping others realise theirs?’ in Museum Management and Curatorship 26 (5), 441–58, 2011

Lynch B., 2011 Whose Cake is it Anyway?: A collaborative investigation into engagement and participation in twelve museums and galleries in the UK, London: The Paul Hamlyn Foundation http://www.phf.org.uk/publications/whose-cake-anyway/, 2011

THEMA is a multilingual and international refereed journal that continues in the tradition of the... more THEMA is a multilingual and international refereed journal that continues in the tradition of the Musées de la civilisation's core values by examining original and thought-provoking topics in an interdisciplinary way. THEMA aims to bridge disciplines and stimulate comparative approaches in order to illustrate the complexity of societies, past and present, particularly as they relate to museums.

Lynch, B, 2013, ‘Whose cake is it anyway?’: museums, civil society and the changing reality of public engagement, in Museums and Migration, Routledge , 2013