Archaeological Site Museums-An Appraisal (original) (raw)

Museological Approach - A Case Study of the Museums in Bikaner, Rajasthan

International journal of engineering research and technology, 2019

Museology, also known in older sources as museography, includes the study of museums, museum curation, art exhibitions and how museums developed into their institutional role in education through political and social forces. Museologists are responsible in organizing the display of artifacts in museums; organize exhibitions by choosing the display items; making purchases of rare and new collections for museum enrichment; identifying, examining, cleaning, preserving, displaying or storing art objects; and conducting educational programs and training courses. INTRODUCTION The primary purpose of the museological approach is to support the preservation of cultural heritage and its intangible values. The core areas of focus include the identification of how and from what materials heritage objects were made; how these change and deteriorate over time and in different contexts; and how to optimize conservation treatments, display and storage conditions to reverse or slow down the effects ...

Changing Perspective of Indian Anthropological Museums

Journal of Indian Museum, 2012

Today museums are trying to provide such kind of quality services which give quality experience in every aspect to the users (visitors). The change in the perception and approach of the museums today has brought the visitors in the prime focus of the day to day affairs of the museums of all kinds. Nowadays, in every type of museum education with amusement has become the main objective along with other activities. Hence, the museums are coming up with better facilities and displays for the dissemination of knowledge or education and entertainment. The museums are service sector institutions which provide services to the public for grater social benefit. Anthropological museums in India have emerged as vibrant institutions providing a link between the present and past. The details regarding the active role of anthropological museums, especially the various aspects and modes of dissemination of knowledge and their significance with respect to preservation, education, and awareness are discussed here keeping in mind the changing perspective and vision of Indian museums in the present age of professionalism. Now the Anthropological museums are developing as a supplementary educational, preservation and research institution. But still museums need to develop a lot to become more productive in terms of its main output that is its visitor friendly services. Article published in Journal of Indian Museums.

Management Perspective of Site Museums at World Heritage Sites in India

National Trust For Promotion of Knowledge: Indian Journal of Archaeology, 2022

This article by Kisha Shanker & Devendra Kumar Gupta throws light on the management perspective of site museums in India which has more than thousand museums under various private, state and national agencies. It has around thirty two cultural sites which have been included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO. These sites are important landmarks for any country and thus their story needs to be told, the best possible way of informally educating masses about these are museums. In this regard, site museums become very important. The advantage of a site museum is that it tells the story of a single site through time and space. This work is based on on-the-ground research, interviews with museum workers, and a review of the literature. Essentially, it provides information on the current state of site museums in India that are part of World Heritage Sites, with a focus on management issues. The article finishes with a management model to give a long-term and effective plan for maximising the power of museums as cultural and social institutions.

The Role of Museums in Cultural Resource Management

American Antiquity, 1979

Cultural resource management is often considered to end when endangered resources are collected or excavated. Actually, this is only an early step in the process. An increasing proportion of our preserved cultural heritage is being managed in museums, and it is in museums that much future archaeological research will have to be done. This brief essay reviews the role of museums in cultural resource management and points to the need for a careful evaluation of the adequacy of current archaeological curation systems.

FACTORS AFFECTING HERITAGE OF MUSEUM IN MAHARSHTRA

IJMRE, 2021

This study has been undertaken to do research for the various factors which are responsible for decline of heritage value of museums in Maharashtra .museum is the institute which carries heritage of the past to educate future generation. Maharashtra is having very rich historical background. based on those history museums preserve those historical memories in the form of repositories. despite of having rich history very few museums are still sustained. this research will highlight those pointers which need to be consider for maintain such institutes. value which attach with the museums are majorly tangible and intangible. tangible value is majorly decrease due to funding from care taking authority, lack of technical staff, and less awareness among people. There are 36 museums in Maharashtra which are government and semiprivate .let us see in detail what are those factors in detail. its time now we should think about it. major three factors which interlink with each other are infrastructure, funds and administrative staff which plays major role in retaining heritage of museums. Museums are institutions created in the public interest. They engage their visitors, foster deeper understanding and promote the enjoyment and sharing of authentic cultural and natural heritage

Apathy, Ignorance or Natural Death? Present State of Museums in West Bengal, India and its Implication for Anthropological Study of Culture and Policy

Anthropology Open Journal , 2018

West Bengal, one of the eastern states of India has the oldest museum in the country apart from housing probably the highest number of museums in India. These museums are showcases of the rich cultural heritage of the country and its development during prehistoric and historical times, artistic and innovative skills of the people, colonial connections and national sentiments. In spite of such a glory and apparent prosperity, the museums in the state are facing a number of problems. It is revealed that many of the museums exist only in name being seldom visited by the common people barring a few connoisseur and researchers. These are run by individual effort and financial support leaving little scope for proper maintenance of objects through appropriate methods of conservation and display. The state neither has a definite policy for the museums, nor does it have any up-to-date data on the number of the museums in the state. It may be said that there is an apathetic attitude and lack of awareness on the both sides of the state and the people residing there. This situation leads to the virtual death of museums when it fails to run its business. What are the reasons behind this situation in which so many museums exist but cannot function up to expectation? How can the interest or involvement with the museums be inspired or inculcated or at least be generated within the people in general? The present paper attempts to find an answer to these questions touching the frames of Foucauldian concept of power and cultural heterotrophy. The discussion deals with numbers, distribution and typology of museums in the state, their historical development and the factors that have contributed to the development of museums in the state, the multifarious roles museums perform and people's engagement with museums. By way of this discussion, the paper tends to focus on how people conceive of museum and how the cultural artifacts of museum become a site for anthropological study of ontology of culture. The paper ends with a pragmatic note suggesting a museum-policy for the state.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL MUSEUM AND ITS RELEVANCE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

HUMANKIND, Journal of IGRMS, 2012

Museums exist for the people. The main job of anthropological museums is to interact with masses and educate the society at large by disseminating the knowledge of biological and cultural aspects of mankind from prehistoric era to contemporary times. By and large all anthropological museums have a rich collection of ethnographic objects collected from different ethnic group especially vulnerable communities. Thus, museums are playing more active roles in the regeneration and promotion of the cultural traditions and social histories of local communities, especially the “populations at risk” who are undergoing rapid social change. To ‘experience’ rather than abstract ‘understanding’` the Indian culture one should make a visit to museums in general and anthropological museums in particular. Anthropological Museum through its exhibits can play a vital role towards empowering the community people highlighting their potentialities in preservation of medicinal plants, water harvesting mechanism, knowledge of traditional architecture, expertise in art and crafts and conservation of forest in the form of sacred grooves, other traditional knowledge, prevalent among the various communities. Museum is a public institution. It occupies a very important place in democracy. It is run by the people, it stands for the people and it is an institution of the people. Man’s right to knowledge and free use thereof is a key to the success of democracy. Museum, being an agent of education promotes knowledge through its exhibits. The present paper is an attempt to highlight the different dimensions of anthropological museum and how it is relevant to the society or in public domain.

Museums as Intangible Heritage: National Museum of Natural History (Nmnh), New Delhi : a Case Study

The role of museum is to acquire, preserve and promote their collections as a contribution to safeguarding the natural and cultural heritage. Preservation, study and transmission of this heritage are of great importance for all societies, for inter-cultural dialogue and sustainable development. Interaction with the constituent community and promotion of heritage is an integral part of the educational role of the museum. Museums have great potential to raise public awareness on the benefit of heritage, its value and importance for societies. In recent years museum is experiencing one of the most noteworthy transformations with global recognition of the urgent need to preserve the intangible heritage. The international community (UNESCO) has also become conscious that Intangible Heritage needs and deserves international safeguarding. This paper focuses the case study of National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi (India) with safeguarding Intangible Natural Heritage. This is the fir...

The Role of Museums in the protection and development of Cultural Heritage

In 21st Century the museum field is being transformed and gains more and more social and cultural functions: Grows role of museum not only in the protection of cultural heritage but in the points of social adaptation and cultural identification-oriented activities. Accordingly courses of museum policy, activity content, form and in fact the museum presents not only center of education and creative innovations but as reliable partner for the protection and interpretation of cultural heritage, and terms of cultural tourism development as well. The spectrum of forms and methods of museum activities for cultural heritage protection and development are as follows: > Focusing on keeping and interpretation of local, tangible and intangible cultural heritage with permanent and temporary exhibitions and cultural actions – the process must be inclusive and accessible to the society; > Revitalization of historical space (environment) and contribution to develop crafts and local traditions in the regions. > Strong partnership with the museum audience, encouragement to local population to make evident their social activities and involving them while solving the problems of cultural heritage protection. > Keeping the honor to cultural diversity, promotion an encouragement of tolerant ideas. > Active involvement in the issues of defining how to use historical and cultural areas, historical cities and settlements, museum-reserves, national and historical parks, tourism industry etc.

Role of Museums to promote and preserve Intangible cultural heritage in the Indian Context

Museums are the cultural institutions of a country and have long been associated with the tangible aspects of their collections. Over a period of time cultural institution have learned to interact with societies and communities and now are actively working with both tangible and intangible heritage. As per the ICOM definition 1 adopted in 2007, at the 21st General Conferences in Vienna, Austria, museums should involve both tangible and intangible cultural heritage 2 in their institutional and educational activities.