Schut, Laura
(2020)
“On the Verge of a New Era”.
Master thesis, M Religion and Cultural Heritage.
Abstract
This thesis explores the 21st century museology in two exhibitions of Museum
Catharijneconvent in the past two decades. The research seeks to uncover how Museum
Catharijneconvent’s narrative has been changing over these decades. A theoretical framework
analyzes three aspects of museal change and its causes. Firstly, several factors appear to be
influential on museums in general, such as curatorial intention and the source community’s
memory or experience. Secondly, the ideas of the new museology affect museum practice and
continue to reshape its direction alongside societal change. Thirdly, secularization has been
changing the museum’s direction as a result of their place in society and religious identity. After
creating a theoretical framework to explore the theory on all three of these aspects, the thesis
will analyze how the museum shaped its narrative through exhibitions. Two exhibitions
displaying remarkably dissimilar topics will be explored: All Kinds of Angels (2008) and Here
in our very own Bible Belt (2019). Both of the exhibition’s narratives have been clearly shaped
by curatorial intention, source communities, the ideas of the new museology and secularization.
Analyzing the exhibitions created insights in the way Museum Catharijneconvent
communicates different types of stories, while staying close to their mission, identity and core
values. Exhibitions are unique and are approached differently. Exhibitions respond to a
different part of society and include different parts of heritage, with different source
communities involved. Exhibitions, apparently, respond to then current events. This
demonstrates how Museum Catharijneconvent is not only in service of society, but also
represents society.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Weir, T.H. | | Faculteit GGW, Christendom en Ideeengeschiedenis | T.H.Weir@rug.nl | | Irving, A.J.M. | | Faculteit GGW, Cultuurgeschiedenis van het Christendom | A.J.M.Irving@rug.nl |
|
| Degree programme: |
M Religion and Cultural Heritage |
| Academic year: |
2019-2020 |
| Date of delivery: |
08 Apr 2021 13:43 |
| Last modified: |
08 Apr 2021 13:43 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/582 |
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