Position and Functions of Museums Facing the Future
Dr. Hans-Martin Hinz
ICOM President
July 2012
National Museum of China

Excellencies,
Dear museum colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year's International Museum Day theme, “Museums in a Changing World. New Challenges, New Inspirations” is highly important in a time of rapid societal change in many parts of the world. Museums are – via exhibitions about culture and the past – in a position to help, offering perspectives for the future and allowing visitors to find answers to the movements and questions of the present. This is an important service for society that museums are able to offer.

When visitors to museums can experience what has happened in their past, where they come from, and how other cultures have developed, this should contribute to increased self-assurance, and thus, in turn, to the formation of identity.

Rapid societal change is by no means a recent development. If we go back in history, the 19th century saw dramatic economic, ecological and social changes in a short period of time, especially in Europe, with a strong impact in other parts of the world and on the lives of all. This was the era of Nation-building and of nationalism as well, during which National Museums were founded in a number of countries worldwide. Many were housed in ornate buildings in prominent locations in capital city centres for legitimate and important reasons.

At the time, these museums conceptualised history and culture as a “golden past” in their permanent exhibitions, intended to spark pride in visitors, as members of the respective nations. This presentation style made sense then, as the aim was to offer people a solid foundation in terms of identity through historical and educational policy.

Today, once again, we are living in a time of rapid change, more global than in the 19th century, encompassing changes in labour markets, the internationalization of everyday life, and migration for economic and other reasons, alongside massive and widespread societal changes.

Cultural policies have reacted to this development. Starting in the early 1980s, initially in highly developed post-industrial societies, new historical and cultural museums were founded at the national level, followed by comparable discussions and with structurally similar conceptions: this period marked the establishment of the National Museum of Japanese History, the Museum of Civilisation in Canada, the bi-cultural Te Papa-Museum in New Zealand, the National Museum of Australia and the German Historical Museum in Berlin.
Subsequently, further state resolutions established new national history museums – alongside traditional National Museums – in Poland and South Korea, while in France, discussions are ongoing for the establishment of a new national history museum in 2015. And even the older National Museums increasingly reflect the new tasks.

Unlike the exhibitions of the 19th century museums, these new museums present a multi-perspective view of culture and history, often accompanied by international comparisons and an increased focus on political history, while – in most cases – still using the means most common to museums: original historical artefacts. However, the presentation does not respect traditional criteria for collections; rather, objects are juxtaposed in such a way as to make historical connections and situations visible for the visitor. The consideration of non-material forms of cultural expression alongside material historical artefacts is also becoming increasingly significant, and in many regions of the world, intangible culture is of more importance than the materialized past.

Sociologists and museological researchers alike have been analyzing this wave of openings of new museums, classifying them since the mid-1990s under the theory of the “Second Modernity”. According to this theory, the currently ongoing transformation of societies represents a break with the structures and values that had shaped the modernity of the industrial societies of the 19th century – the first modernity.

Today, and in contrast with the modernity of early industrialization, according to this analysis, the search for sustainable strategies for the development of society, present and future, is determined by growth limits, ecological problems on a global scale, the globalization of markets, the receding significance of the nation-state in many parts of the world, and the dissolution of traditional bonds. This is accompanied by greater individualization in terms of economic independence and consumer power. It sounds like a European or North American model, but is growing increasingly global.

What does this mean for museum work today? If museums wish to foster mutual understanding, sustainable behaviour and better knowledge of the past of their respective nations and societies, as well as of the culture and history of others, then it is important, on the one hand, to explain the history and culture of a county with its diverse population in terms of social, political, religious and other aspects. But it also is important to reflect on the impact of the history of neighbouring countries and societies on one's own development, and vice versa.

If museums follow this strategy, exhibitions and other activities become tools for a better understanding of the world today.

In an era of globalization, more and more museums are working on providing global presentations of culture and history. This has led to debate: on the one hand, an emerging conception of history in keeping with this global perspective, which allows visitors to understand the long trajectory of history, the mutual global impact of historical as well as social, cultural and artistic developments; and on the other hand, the currently – in many museums, still-dominant – presentation of historical, cultural and social developments from the view of the so-called winners or losers of history, or from a regional or national perspective.

In such a time of new challenges for museums in a changing world – and there are many more challenges and tasks that could be described here – you might wonder how we find renewed inspiration to deal with such tasks?

As President of ICOM, I have a clear answer: The International Council of Museums is the proper forum for just this, with our network of over 30,000 members in nearly 140 countries, which facilitates the sharing of experiences with colleagues from different regions, with different histories and cultures. In this way, we can all learn from each other, which helps us in our own everyday work in museums and other cultural institutions.

ICOM has 31 International Committees, which offer a broad spectrum of themes, from museum theory to highly practical aspects of museum work, from educational work to management, from collections to documentation and for all types and levels of museums. These are ICOM's treasures, enabling colleagues to have the chance to meet at least once a year at the Committee conference, and to speak and learn about challenges, experiences and projects.
In 2010, ICOM China hosted the ICOM General Conference in Shanghai, where thousands of colleagues from all over the world gathered together for a global dialogue.

Let me please add that the National Committees play an extremely important role within their countries. As in many countries, there are conflicting situations concerning collections of museums and cultural property in general. ICOM's Code of Ethics for Museums is a vital worldwide moral rather than legal tool for responding to such conflicting situations. The National Committee is in most cases the first contact in the country in dealing with the Code of Ethics, and can provide firsthand information and advice to cultural administrations. ICOM as a global organisation is working hard for the protection of cultural goods in danger, and does so in close cooperation with governments, international agencies, customs, police and the worldwide museum community.

ICOM wishes the National Museum of China, one of the most impressive museums in the world, a bright future and all the best for its second century of existence.