Full Description
Museums are a city phenomenon, one element within a suite of cultural institutions which most major urban centres support. In the 19th century, museums were established as evidence of urban sophistication, a credential of new and enlightened local government. They aimed to provide vistas significantly broader than the local. Today, however, the agenda is very different. Within the majority of cities there are museums dedicated to exploring the city itself. The contributors consider the making of city histories from very different perspectives and within a number of theoretical frameworks. They use case studies and comparisons of practice; in particular, good practice is highlighted and potential ways forward explored.
Contents
Buttons, belisha beacons and bullets - city histories in museums, Gaynor Kavanagh; razor ribbons, history museums and civic salvation, Michael Wallace; city museums and their role in a divided community - the Northern Ireland experience, Bill Maguire; Croydon - what history?, Sally MacDonald; the city museum - who comes?, Carol Scott; approaches to portraying the city in European museums, Max Hebditch; collections and collecting, Catherine Ross; brave new world - the future for city history museums, David Fleming; breaking down the barriers of ignorance, Raj Pal; envisioning cities - London, Roy Porter; defining cities -socio-geographical perspectives, Rachael Unsworth; the discovery centre at Millennium Point, Birmingham, Elizabeth Frostick.
