Pa r t n e r s h i p s a nd t h e P owe r o f P o s s e s s i o n a nd P r o f i t

“Mu s eum o f t h e C i t i z e n ” P an e l a t t h e B r i t i s h Mu s eum

KYVH7EthnographyARCLG209:Heritage,Globalisation,andDevelopment 22April2016

Figure1:Kopplin,A.2016,BritishMuseumGreatCourtafterMuseumoftheCitizenPanel.(blackandwhite).

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1.Introduction

“Name?”Afterqueuingsilentlyfortenminutes,itwasnowmyturntoproduce

proofofmyticketpurchase.TheBritishMuseum,nowclosedtothegeneral

publicfortheevening,wasquietexceptforthesystematicshufflingofticket-

holdersintotheauditorium.Thequestion:“HowwilltheBritishMuseumpresent

itselftothepublicandbehaveinthefaceofsuggestionsoutsidetheprofession?”

ranthroughmymindasIbegantostudythecontentanddynamicsofthe

“MuseumoftheCitizen”panelevent4March2016.

AsoneofthemostprestigiousWorldHeritagemuseumsintheworld,theBritish

Museumcanbeseenasconstitutingitsownprofessionalcommunitywitha

reputationforpurposefullyclosingitselfofffromvisitorsandevenother

museums.LizForgan,aBritishMuseumpanelmember,openlyacknowledged

theBritishMuseum’sreputationasa“threat”whenintroducingtheevent

(“MuseumoftheCitizen”2016panel).Slowly,sheexplained,thenew

museologicalphilosophiescirculatingandprofessionalappointmentswithinthe

museumhaveresultedinadesiretoextendoutwardsintothepublicand

professionalcommunitiesandcreatea“dialoguebetweentheBritishMuseum

andtheworlditlivesin”(“MuseumoftheCitizen”2016panel).

WhatbecameapparentthroughouttheeventweretheBritishMuseum’s

assumptionaboutheritageownershipasmerelypossessionanditsassertionof

thatpowerwithinthesectorfromthosepossessions.Theseheritageobjects,

oftennotproducedorfoundwithintheUnitedKingdom,areusedaspawnsin

ordertoforgepartnershipswithothermuseumsandfurtheritsownname.In

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thecourseoftheevening,hypocrisiesarosesurroundingthemeaningof

citizenship,ownership,andthenatureofpartnershipsamongheritage

organizationsandtheirpublic.Theelementsofadialogicapproach(Harrison

2013)toheritagepartnershipswerepresentinthepanelmemberswordsand

yetareabsentwhendescribingthenatureofthesepartnerships.

2.Ethnographyat“MuseumoftheCitizen”Panel

2.1Methodology

ThisstudyconstitutesanethnographyexaminingthenetworkstheBritish

Museumhascreatedoutsideitsownwalls.Inwritingthis‘network

ethnography’,IattempttofollowthesuggestionsofBerthod,Grothe-Hammer,

andSydow(2016),andapplyamixofbothqualitativeandquantitativeresearch

methodstothestudy,thoughIrelyheavieruponmyqualitativefindings.These

methodsareappliedwhenexaminingthestructureofaninterorganisational

networkandhowthatplanproducesandaffectsactions(Berthodetal.2016).

2.2QualitativeandQuantitativeResearchMethods

Thedataforthisstudywascollectedthroughobservationsofthepanelmembers

andphysicalaudienceparticipantsaswellastheirreactionstovirtualaudience

questionsviaTwitter#MuseumOfTheCitizen.Additionally,textanalysiswas

conductedonthe‘MuseumoftheCitizen’onlineresourcesandpromotional

material.

Myroleasaresearcherwasthatofbothobserverandparticipant.Theeventwas

broughttomyattentionthroughsocialmedia,inthesamewayasmanyother

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participants.Ipurchasedthesame£5ticketandsatintheauditoriumseatsalong

witheveryotheraudiencememberphysicallypresent.Thoughaudience

membersweregrantedpermissiontoaskquestions,Ichosetonotguidetheflow

ofconversationtowardsmypersonalresearchquestionsandinsteadoptedto

observethepaneldiscussionprogressorganically.

2.3TheResearchField

Thecentralsettingforthisethnographywasthe“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel

thattookplacebetween18:00and20:00intheauditoriumoftheBritish

MuseuminBloomsburyon4March2016.ThoughIestimatedbetweenone

hundredandone-hundred-and-twentyphysicalaudiencemembers,Ifocused

primarilyonthepresentationsandanswersofthefivepanelmembersandthe

twoadditionalspeakersattheevent.Asecondary,onlinesettingwasalsousedin

thisstudyastheeventcreatedavirtualcommunitythroughtheuseofsocial

mediaandawebsite.

2.4ResearchEthics

ForthisstudyIconductedmyresearchcovertly,butwithinanentirelypublic

setting.Theobjectsofmyresearch,thepanelmembers,alreadyhadtheir

identitiespublishedinadvertisementsfortheeventsandwerepreparedto

speakinapubliccapacity.Withtheirwordsandprofessionalidentitiespublicly

knownandadvertised,therewasnotaneedtocontactthespeakersbeforehand

fortheuseoftheirspokencontentorconcealtheirnamesandprofessions.

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Sincetheaudiencememberswereinformedbythemuseumthattheeventwas

beingrecordedinaudioandvisualformat,theywereawaretheirwordscouldbe

usedpublicly.Theiridentitieshowever,wouldstillremainanonymousunless

voluntarilyofferedbytheparticipantsthemselves.Myresearchwasnot

concernedwiththepersonalidentitiesoftheparticipants,merelythepanel

members’reactionstotheirwords(whetherverbalorvirtual).Therefore,the

contenttheaudiencemembersprovidedhasbeenusedinthisstudyto

contextualizepanelmembers’responses,butthepersonalidentitiesofthe

individualsremainanonymouseventothisresearcher.

2.5Reflexivity

IrecognizemypositionasaMuseumStudiesmastersstudentandcurrent

volunteerfortheBritishMuseum’sCommunityEngagementDepartmentcan

complicatemyanalysisofthistopicandpotentiallyleavemeopentobias.These

factorssimultaneouslyprovidemewithadeeperinsightintothemuseological

practicesoftheBritishMuseumandthehistoricalcontextsoftheseheritage

policies;however,muchofmypersonalworkinmuseumshasbeeninthefieldof

audienceresearchandoutreach,makingmesensitivetotheconcernsofthe

publiccommunities.Iseekthentobetransparentinhowtheseexperiences

mightaffectmyanalysis.

2.6TheoreticalFramework

Theacademictheorythatshapesthisethnographyishingedupontheideathat

heritagepoliciesaremoreaccuratelyunderstoodasprocessesratherthan

products(Howard2003;Harrison2013).Themuseumhistoricallyhas

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perpetuatedandheighteneditsownculturalpracticesthroughauthoritativeand

socialandpoliticalplatforms(Bennett1995).Thepracticestheybringintothe

futurearedependedupontheircurrentvalues,butthesevaluesarestrongly

perpetuatedbythemorepowerfulactors(Harrison2013).

Therearemultipleactorsthatcontributetoheritage-productionandby

wideningthenetworkofdialogue,thepreviouslyexcludedactorsaregivena

chancetoactivelyparticipate(Harrison2013).Naturallythen,heritagecanbe

seenasasocialactandbyexaminingtheconversationshadamongpartnersand

thenatureoftheirrelationshiptooneanother,heritagebeginstopresentitselfin

amoreholisticform.Heritagepoliciesarecreatedthroughnetworksof

inseparableactors,bothtangiblepeopleandobjectsaswellasintangible

practices(Harrison2013).Aswithanysocialinteraction,powerdynamicsexist.

Onceweidentifythemorepowerfulactors,wecanbegintoseewhyparticular

setsofvalueshavebeenhighlighted,andmoreimportantly,whatsetsofvalues

havebeensuppressed.

Theaimofadialogicapproachtoheritageistodemocratizetheprocessof

heritage-makingandactivelyseekoutthediversitythatexistsintheworldand

begintoincorporatethemintomainstreamheritagepoliciesasequallyvaluable

producersandconsumersofheritage(Harrison2013:229).“Differenceand

diversitymustbepresentednotasintrinsic,butassomethingtobechosenand

activelypromoted;notassomethingthatissimplyrootedinthepast,butasan

effectivechoicetowardswhichsocietiesmustworkinthefuture”(Harrison

2013:230).Incirculatingthenotionsthatothergroupshaveaboutheritage,

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thoseactorsaswellastheirideasbecomemoreacceptedandlesscontested

throughouttheworldandtheentiresectorbenefits.

3.Defining‘Citizen’oftheMuseum

Theeventwaspublicizedwiththetagline:“Haveyoursayandhelpshapethe

museumofthefutureatthisspecialevent”(Appendix1).Theeventaimedto

demonstratetheBritishMuseum’sdemocraticpracticesinproducing

collaborativeheritagepoliciesbyengagingwiththeir‘citizens’.Citizenryisoften

definedintermsofinclusion,butMillerandYúdice(2002:105)warnagainst

thatfallacy,consideringtheexclusionsaswell,“thenon-citizen,andtheirfate.”

Theterm‘citizen’generallyproducesideasofnationalismandevenpatriotism,

buttheincreasingemphasisondiversityandmulticulturalismsincethelate-

twentiethcenturyintheUnitedKingdomhasgeneratedmorefluidnotionsofthe

term(Feldblum1997:103).TheBritishMuseum,anationalmuseum,hasa

diverselyinternationalvisitorbase.Thiscausesonetoquestion:“whatterms

definethepanel’susetodefinea‘citizen’ofthemuseum?”

LizForgan,theBritishMuseumTrusteepresentatthepanel,stressedthegoalof

theBritishMuseumistomakeitselfavailabletothewidestpossibleaudience.

ShespecifiedwhotheBritishMuseumisaimingtoinitiateadialoguewith;

definingtheterm‘citizen’inthiscontextas“everybody;Britishcitizensand

citizensoftheworld”(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).

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Thedifficultyinthisisthat‘citizensoftheworld’arenotaunitedcommunity;

theyhavedifferentideasandneedsthatcanconflictwithoneanother(Boniface

1995:41).Touristsprefertoseeasmuchheritageinonelocationforefficiency;

theycannotbeexpectedtotraveltovariouspartsofthecountrytoseea

distributedcollection.Ontheotherhand,manyBritishcitizensdonotregularly

traveltoBloomsburyandtheywouldbenefitthemostfromUKobjectloans,

whichhaveincreasedfrom151locationsto170locationssince2009("The

BritishMuseumCelebratesSuccessesInLondon,TheUKAndAroundTheWorld:

AnnualReviewLaunch2015").In2015,moreBritishcitizenssawBritish

MuseumobjectsoutsidethemuseumthaninBloomsbury(“Museumofthe

Citizen”panel).ItispotentiallyforthesereasonsthattheBritishMuseumhas

largelydevelopedpartnershipswithandloanedobjectstomuseumsoutsideof

London.Thisissueisaconcerningonethatgeneratesthevalidquestion,“Can

tourismbedemocratic;andcantheculturalheritagebeaccessibletoall?”

(Boniface1995:12).

4.PartnershipsandPossession,Power,andProfit

4.1PartnershipsofPossession

“Certainobjectshavetheability,throughtheirappearance,association,history

andstorytofiretheimaginationofcurators,publicandthemedia.These‘star

objects’cancertainlyraisetheprofileoftheMuseum”(Roberts2006:49).Steven

Miller,oneofthespeakersfromNorfolkMuseumService,explainedthe“power

ofaBritishMuseumobject”indrawinginvisitors(“MuseumoftheCitizen”

panel).In2014,theBritishMuseumsaw6.7millionvisitorsin2014makingit

themostvisitedUKattraction("TheBritishMuseumCelebratesSuccessesIn

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London,TheUKAndAroundTheWorld:AnnualReviewLaunch2015").

Additionally,whereBritishMuseumobjectsgo,visitorsfollowasexemplified

withtheDunwichMuseuminSuffolk.Thismuseumissmall,solelyrunby

volunteers,yetsaw20,000visitorswhentheBritishMuseumloanedthemthe

DunwichSealforanexhibitionin2011(TheBritishMuseum2012).

ThiscollectionandinturntheculturalpowertheentireUKenjoyswasbuiltin

partthroughthecollectingpracticesoftheBritishEmpire.Itisnocoincidence

thatthegreatestarchaeologicalcollectionintheworldissituatedwithinwhat

usedtobethelargestempireoftheworld.Thepoliticalownershipoflandledto

thephysicalpossessionofobjects.O’Neill(2006)connectstheEuropeandesire

toassembleempireswiththeloveofcollectingobjects.

Theextensivenessanduniquenessofthecollectionarethemostimpressive

characteristicsofthecollection;thereareveryfewareasnotrepresentedinit

andonlythosepoorlyrepresentedperiodsareconsideredfornewlarge

archaeologicalacquisitions(Roberts2006:51).Butalternatively,allobjectsfrom

theBritishMuseumenjoyalevelofstatussimplyas‘BritishMuseumobjects’;the

‘valueaddedness’factor,orasStevenMillerdescribed‘power’isprescribedtoall

objectsfromtheBritishMuseumregardlessoftheirownmeritasindividual

objects(Boniface1995:58).

Someofthemuseum’smostprizedobjects,suchastheElginMarblesandthe

RosettaStone,havebecomesynonymouswiththeBritishMuseumitself

regardlessofplaceoforigin.WorldHeritagehasbeenembeddedand

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assimilatedintoBritishnationalheritagethroughthesegeographicallynon-

confinedcollectingpracticesoverthecenturies.Collectingobjectsfromacross

theglobeisBritishheritageinitsownright.Originculture’sclaimstothese

objectsarepushedasideoncetheobjectsarehousedwithintheBritishMuseum.

AsLizForganwasspeakingaboutthepridethatcomeswithasenseof

ownershipoverheritageashisorherown,shestoppedherselfabruptlytoadd

asanaside,“I’mnottalkingabouttheParthenonMarbles!”towhichtheroom

joinedherinlaughteratthethoughtofreturninganobjectofsuchvaluetoits

source.TheBritishMuseuminpracticedefinesownershipofWorldHeritage

merelyaspossessionofthatheritageanddismissesanyothernotions.

4.2PartnershipsofProfit

ThereisamonetaryincentivefortheBritishMuseumtoloanobjectstoexternal

UKmuseumsthatshouldnotbeignoredwhenconsideringmuseum

partnerships.Objectvaluemakescultureaprofitablecommodity(Miller&Yúdice

2002:73)andthatvalueincreaseswithrespecttorarityandpopularity.“If

heritagewasacommodity,‘WorldHeritage’wasthemostmarketableofthis

formofcommodity”(Harrison2013:89).

Asanationalmuseum,visitstotheBritishMuseum’spermanentgalleriesare

freetoallvisitors;chargesareonlyappliedtotemporaryexhibitions.Thisdoes

notleavetheBritishMuseumtoprofitdirectlyfromtheirworld-renown

collection,exceptthroughobjectloanstomuseumsthatgenerallydonothaveas

extensiveorimpressiveofacollection.Inthefaceoffundingcuts,“itemslikea

nationalmuseumrepresentauniquesellingpropositioninthefighttobringin

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visitors”(Boniface1995:58).Unsurprisinglythengiventheircollection,the

BritishMuseumlendsthelargestamountofobjectstothewidestlocationsinthe

world(“MuseumoftheCitizen”website).Throughobjectloans,themuseums

involvedcangeneraterevenuefromobjectsthatotherwisewouldbeinstorage

orviewedforfree.PerhapsthisistheincentivebehindtheBritishMuseum

increasingtheiroverallobjectloansby41%sine2009("TheBritishMuseum

CelebratesSuccessesInLondon,TheUKAndAroundTheWorld:AnnualReview

Launch2015").

TheseexhibitionsessentiallysellworldheritagetoaBritishaudienceandeven

re-sellheritagebacktoitssourcecommunities.StephenWelsh,CuratorofLiving

CulturesfromtheManchesterMuseum,enthusiasticallyspokeoftheirsuccessful

partnershipwiththeBritishMuseumwherethecollaboratedontheChina:

JourneytotheEastexhibition(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).Theyattemptedto

engagewiththeManchesterChineseCommunitybyinvitingthemtoseethe

BritishMuseum’scollectionoftheirownheritage.Theinvitationswereevensent

inChineseinordertoestablishcommunicationintheirownlanguage.

ThoughadialoguewasinitiatedinChinese,itwasnotmotivatedbyadesireto

co-producetheirownheritage,butinsteadbyanopportunitytoprofitfromthem

aftertheinterpretationoftheirobjectsalreadyoccurred.Ratherthanincluding

variousculturesasequalcitizensintoheritage-production,theyarecreatinga

systemthatfurtherexploitsthemasconsumersofaheritage-productionthey

wereexcludedfrom.“Thereisacomplicatedrelationshipbetweenthecitizen

anditslogocentricdouble,theconsumer”(Miller&Yúdice2002:73).

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Consumerismandtourismhaveincreasinglybeenpromotedwithinthesector

(Harrison2013:106),particularlyasfundingbecomesmoreinsecure.Howard

(2003:203)assertsthatthepromiseofprofitisbehindthetransitionfrom

museumsnolongersimplyallowingaccess,butbeginningtoactivelyseek

visitors.

Thisisfurtherdemonstratedintheticket-purchaserequirementinattendingthe

“MuseumoftheCitizen”eventandhavingaplatformonwhichtospeak.Though

the£5priceoftheticketwasnotsteep,thepurchaseoftheticketreveals

informationaboutthecitizen/consumer:heorshehasatleastaminimal

disposableincomeandacreditcardforthedigitaltransaction,theabilityto

traveltoandfromthemuseum,andiseitherretiredorhasthefreedomtoleave

workearlyonaFriday.Thesequalificationsalonesignificantlyreducetheability

toattendtheeventphysically.Evenbydemocratizingtheprocessbyofferingthe

eventforfreewouldonlygenerate“amasstourismmarketratherthananelite

tourismmarket”(Boniface1995:111)becausethereareotherprofit-generating

elementsatplaywiththeBritishMuseum.

4.3PartnershipsofPower

Usingtheterm‘citizen’mayseemdemocraticatthesurface,butadeeper

analysisraisestheissuethattheworditselfactuallyupholdsthispowerrelation:

peoplehavetobecitizensofsomethinglargerthenthemselves,anetworkthatis

moreimportantthantheindividualsthatcomposeit.BonnieGreer,another

panelmember,urgedtheaudiencewhentalkingofcitizenshiptoconsider,“What

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areweacitizento?”(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).Derivingitspowerfromits

extensiveandprestigiouscollection,theBritishMuseumhasamassedanetwork,

acitizenry,oforganizationsandindividuals.

Indescribingwhatconstitutesasuccessfulpartnership,thepaneleffectively

endorsedthedialogicheritagemethod.KennethOlumuyiwaappliedthesame

characteristicsofgoodpartnershipsashedoestohisfriendships;theymuststart

withaconversationtoestablish:empathy,trust,sharedvalues,agreements,and

sharedpurpose(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).LizForganagreed,adding

“Mutualpartnershipsworkwhenbothsidesgiveandbothsidesreceive”

(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).

Inpracticehowever,museumprofessionalsoftenclashwiththeirvisitorsintheir

attitudesonaccesstotheobjectsandtheirinterpretationprocess(Howard

2003).“Themuseumspherehastheabilitytoactasadiscursive,multi-vocal

space,wherethevoiceofthe‘expert’isnolongertheloudest”(Boehm2015:

153).Sustainablepartnershipswillbeforgedonlyonceaccesstothe

managementofthatheritageitselfiswidened.Simplyallowingaccesstothe

objectsthemselveswillnotproducestrongrelationships;theobjectscannotbe

isolatedfromtheprocessesthatinvolvethem:

“Thechallengeformuseums,andtheprocessofheritagemanagement

moregenerally,thusbecomesoneoffindingwaysofengaging

creativelywiththeseobjectssoastofacilitatetheirongoing

relationshipswithpeopleandtheotherobjectsaroundtheminthe

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future.Thismeansopeningupadialoguewithheritageobjects,places

andpracticesasactorsintheirownright”(Harrison2013:222).

Evenwhenthedivisionbetweenprofessionalandvisitorisremoved,cultural

differencesofheritagevaluesstillpersist.SincetheBritishMuseum’scollection

iscomprisedofobjectsfromallovertheworld,manyoftheseculturesconstitute

whatHoward(2013)calls‘insiders’:individualswhofeelentitledtoobjects

basedontheirpersonalattachmenttothem.Inaglobalworld,thiscouldmean

geographically,ethnically,politically,orculturally;somepeopleacquirea

possessivenaturetocertainobjectsthroughouttheirlives,whileotherslose

themthrougheducationorsituation(Howard2013:117).Dealingwith‘insiders’

hasoftencreatedconflictsoverownershipandaccessfortheBritishMuseum.

WhenaskedbyanaudiencememberifandhowtheBritishMuseumwouldfoster

partnershipswithreligiousminorities,StevenMillerdefendedthemuseum’s

currentpolicythatallowsallvisitorstousetheBritishMuseumtotheirown

purposeandbecausethesecanincludereligiouslymotivatedones,heseesno

reasontoexpandoramendit(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).Thevaguenessof

thispolicydidnotsatisfytheaudiencememberandshecontinuedtopresshim

furthertoclarifythatthemuseumcurrentlydoesnotinvite,highlight,oreven

acknowledgethespecificreligiousvisitoruses.

Itwasclearthathefelttheobjects’diversesourcelocationsandoriginal

purposesshouldbesatisfactoryregardlessofthewaysvisitorsarecurrently

engagingwiththem.Healsodisplayedtheignoranceexpertsoftenhavetothe

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powersocialnormshaveovervisitorsinmuseums;withoutbeingexplicitly

invitedtodoso,visitorsdonotfeelcomfortableactingoutsidetheirperception

ofappropriatemuseumconduct(Boniface1995:24).

Perhapsthisiswhyanattemptismadetodownplaytheseculturaldifferencesby

emphasizingthegreatnessoftheobjects.Valuingobjectsoverindividualsleads

tothe‘custodybattles’KennethOlumuyiwawarnedruinspartnerships.Bonnie

GreerdescribesherwalksthroughtheSyrian,Egyptian,andGreekgalleriesat

theBritishMuseumasanexhibitionon“humanity”(“MuseumoftheCitizen”

panel).Sheemphasizedtheimportanceofconsideringallobjectsasproductsof

onespecies:Homosapiensapien(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).Itistheobjects

created,nottheculturesthatcreatedthemthatarevaluedandrespected.Thisis

furthersupportedasthepanellatercondemnedthecurrentdestructionof

archaeologicalobjectsinSyria(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).

Mainstreamheritageexpertsproduceheritagebasedontheirownknowledge

andthevaluesoftheirownculture,largelyexcludingentirelytheknowledgeand

valuesoflaypersonsandminorities.Culturalheritageisaproductionofthe

entireworld,“itsappropriateconductmustbeconsideredglobally”(Boniface

1995:111).Londonisavastlydiversecity,withinhabitantsandtouristsfrom

everycorneroftheworld.Heritagevaluesareexposedthroughtheways

minoritiesareaddressedorignoredinsuchevents(Harrison2013:224).

Increasingfinancialpressuresofthemuseumsectoraredisproportionately

affectinglocalauthorityandsmallermuseumsintheUnitedKingdom,while

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nationalmuseumshavefacedlittlefundingcuts.NotonlydoestheBritish

Museumpossessobjectofgreatworldheritagevalue,itcanusetheseobjectsas

profitablebargainingchipswhenformingpartnershipsandloaningtopaid,

temporaryexhibitions.Thiscreatesahierarchyofheritagewithnational

museumssuchastheBritishMuseumatthetop.KennethOlumuyiwawaswise

toquestionifsuccessfulpartnershipscanevenexistwithinahierarchy

(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).

Thishierarchyisevenself-proclaimedbyBritishMuseumrepresentative

JonathanWilliamswhenheexplicitlystatedthemuseum’sauthorityisderived

from“thenamethatwehave”(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).Astheholderof

the‘powerful’WorldHeritageobjects,itistheBritishMuseumthatmaintains

culturalpowerovercitizens,consumers,andpartnermuseums.Contrarytothe

dialogicapproachtoheritage,andthepanel’sowndefinitionofagood

partnership/friendship,theBritishMuseumisactivelyperpetuatingtheir

powerfulimageatthetopofahierarchy;onlytheBritishMuseumcandecideif

andhowitwishestoshareitsculturalpowerdownthelinetoits‘partners’.

5.ConclusionandRecommendations

5.1SummaryofEthnographicStudy

Theoriginalpromisetoallowparticipantsanopportunitytoco-createthe

museum’spolicieswasnotkept;anhourandahalfeventwascomprisedofover

fifty-fiveminutesofpresentationsfrompanelmembers,beforeinvitingthe

audienceintothefinalthirty-fiveminutes.Ultimately,oncethatvoicewasfinally

heard,itwasnotlistenedto.Theaudiencewasallowedtoaskquestions,not

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offeruptheirsuggestionsorcriticismsontheBritishMuseum’spractices.What

wasadvertisedasanopportunitytoconverseasequals,resultedinre-affirming

notionsknowledgeaspower.ThisformatlefttherepresentativesoftheBritish

Museumwiththefinalword,asignofauthorityovertheaudience,nottheother

wayaround.

Withtheopportunityforthepublictointeractopenlyandincloseproximitywith

policy-makers,Iwashopingtowitnessdialogicalheritageproduction,but

insteadwasleftwondering,“Whytheterms‘citizen’and‘consumer’ofWorld

Heritageseemtobeinterchangeableandhowanopportunityforco-heritage-

productionmanifesteditselfintoaplatformtoupholdexclusion?”Ultimately,

typeofpartnershipdescribedatthiseventactuallygoesagainstthedialogic

modeloftheyaimedforandinsteadreaffirmstheexistingbarrierbetween

citizensandthemuseum(Harrison2013).

5.2SuggestionsforFurtherEthnographicResearch

Amorein-depthnetworkethnographyapplyingthesamesuggestionsfrom

(Berthodetal.2016)couldincluderesearchreviewingeachoftheprofessional

partnershipswithothermuseums,bothpresentandpast.LizForganofthe

BritishMuseumalludedto“failed”partnershipswhenspeakingandtheactions

tocontinuallyforgenewpartnerships(“MuseumoftheCitizen”panel).The

numbersanddurationsofthesepartnershipscouldbeexploredqualitatively

whilequalitativeinterviewsorquestionnairescouldprovidereasonsforwhy

thesepartnershipswereeithersuccessfulorunsuccessful.

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Thisresearchshouldnotonlyfurtheranacademicdiscussiononheritage-

production,butberepresentativetothetheoryitself.’Scholarship’shouldnot

takeprecedenceovertheotheractorsinvolved(Boardman2006:35).An

explorationintothecommunitiesexcludedfromheritage-productioncould

balancethenarrativebywidelydistributingthescrutinyofthetopicandmaking

democraticco-productionmoredifficultforthecurrentlypowerfulactorsto

ignore.

Acknowledgingthepower‘citizens’orconsumersofthemuseumhaveover

heritagepolicywillincreasetransparencyandopennessbetweenpolicy-makers

andthosewhomthepoliciesaffect.Oncetheissueisacknowledged,thevoicesof

previouslyexcludedcommunitiescanbelistenedtoasco-producersinthe

heritage-productionprocessandmanagementofmuseumcollections(Boehm

2015).

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Appendix1

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Appendix

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Human Participant Research Application Form

for Student Coursework

This form is intended for UCL Institute of Archaeology students and those doing the joint Archaeology/Anthropology degree. It should be submitted for approval by your course coordinator or

tutor, as specified in class or in your course handbook. This form is designed to be filled in using Microsoft Word.

You will normally be notified of the outcome within 2 weeks of submitting your application.

Section A. Personal Details Name Allison Kopplin

Email address allison.kopplin.15@ucl.ac.uk

Course ARCLG209: Heritage, Globalisation and Development

Course coordinator

Rodney Harrison

Application date 13 April 2016

Essay or project Submission date

22 April 2016

Section B. Description of Proposed Research B1. Essay or project title. Ethnography: Partnerships of Power (working title) B2. Give a brief overall description of your research. I observed the Museum of the Citizen panel event at the British Museum. The panel was composed of members of organizations and museums the British Museum partners with. The event was presenting the ways in which the British Museum is managing the heritage and partnering with external museums and other cultural organizations to share that heritage with a wider audience. Its goal was publisisd as a way to increase transparency and agency with the audience. After each panel member presented, they answered audience questions (those in person as well as asked via the internet). B3. Outline your main research questions and aims. 1. How does the British Museum perceive ownership and access of the World

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Heritage they posess? 2. What does the British Museum see is the role of the public in heritage policy development? Section C. Participant Details C1. What age groups will you be recruiting? Tick all that apply.

Children (under 15 years)

Young adults (15-17 years)

Adults (18 and over)

C2. Will you be recruiting any of the following? Tick all that apply.

Vulnerable adults (those without capacity to give informed consent, including those with learning disabilities, mental health issues or dementia)

Prisoners or young offenders

Asylum seekers or refugees

Public figures, such as politicians, judges, journalists or artists

NHS patients

Friends or family

Other UCL students

I will not be recruiting from any of these groups

C3. Explain how you will be identifying and recruiting participants. The data will come from individuals participating and presenting at the Museum of the Citizen panel event at the British Museum.

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Section D. Proposed methods and data D1. Which of the following methods will you be using? Tick all that apply.

Interviews: in person via skype via email

Questionnaires: in paper form online

Focus groups

Observations of human behaviour

Secondary datasets (data collected previously by others)

Other (please describe).

Other: Text analysis of published British Museum printed and online material D2. Describe how these methods will applied to your research subjects. I will observe the presenations of panel members and responses to audience questions as well as analyze the publisised materials relating to the event to explore the ways the British Museum presents their partnerships and responds to external questions. D3. Where will you be collecting your data? e.g.: schools, museums, public spaces, within particular communities. Please give the names of any organisations involved, if known. The British Museum Museum of the Citizen panel event D4. What data will your research generate? Tick all that apply.

Notes

Interview or focus group transcripts

Photographs

Film or video recordings

Audio recordings

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Other (give details).

D5. What position will you take regarding anonymisation of participants during data collection and/or reporting? Note that you do not need to name a person for their opinion to have weight. This may be achieved by using a role-specific pseudonym, such as ‘a curator’, ‘a professional illustrator’, ‘an academic’ etc.

Some or all participants will be anonymised

Some or all participants may be identifiable

D6. Which of the following will apply to your participants? Tick all that apply.

Participants will be fully anonymised. No individuals will be linked to

the data they provide, at any stage of my research.

Participants will be partially anonymised. Names will be withheld, but it may be possible to identify individuals from the data they provide.

Participants will be named in my research notes, and their identity linked to the data they provide, but names will not appear in the final report.

Participants will be clearly identified in the final report. D7. If you ticked more than one box in the previous section, please explain in more detail which recruits the different degrees of anonumisation/identification refer to.

D8. If any participants will be identified, or potentially identifiable during data collection and/or reporting, please explain why this is considered necessary. The professional position of some individuals was publicly stated at the panel. Their positions within their museums are relevant to the research question and the entire panel was recorded by the British Museum, so the information they provide can be linked to the individual. D9. Will you be filming or photographing people, in such a way that they could be identifiable from the images.

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Yes No

If ‘yes’, please explain further.

Section E. Risks and benefits E1. List all the countries where you will be working. UK E2. Will data collection pose any risks to yourself? Risks might include lone working in potentially unsafe environments, physical risks associated with experimental research, or visiting countries where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against all travel (see https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice).

Yes No E3. Will you be dealing with sensitive or potentially distressing subject matter? This might include experiences of violence, abuse or exploitation or illegal behaviour.

Yes No E4. Is there likely to be significant risk of harm to the rights and wellbeing of participants (physical, emotional, psychological, reputational, legal or financial) as a result of taking part in your research?

Yes No If ‘yes’ please explain further.

E5. Will any of your research be conducted covertly (carried out without the knowledge or active consent of the participants, or by misleading participants about the purpose of the research)?

Yes No

If ‘yes’ please explain why this might be necessary. It is not necessary to identify the participants and obtain explicit consent because all

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the information is open to the public. All participants are aware there is a public audience and are speaking at a public forum, crucial to examining the persona the British Museum is presenting to the public. E6. How might your research benefit participants? Participants might become aware of the ways their partnerships are perceived by the public and where they fall short.

Section F. Dissemination of results F1. Will the results of your research be reported to participants?

Yes No If ‘yes’, please explain how you plan to do this.

Section G. Further comments and statement of understanding G1. Do you have any further comments or questions?

G2. Please check the following boxes to complete your application.

I agree that I have read the ethical guidelines for student dissertations provided online at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/ethics

I undertake to conduct this research in the manner advised.

I agree that, if any of the answers given above change due to modification of my research design, I will inform tmy course coordinator immediately, and seek additional approval for my research.

I understand that I must wait for ethics approval before collecting any research data from human participants.

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FOR OFFICE USE ONLY UCL Research Ethics Committee approval required? Yes No

REC reference

Date obtained:

DBS checks required? Yes No

External ethics approval required? Yes No

UCL Data protection to be informed? Yes No

Risk Assessment required? Yes No

Special Instructions for student:

Date IoA Approval Granted: 15/04/2016

Authorized by: Rodney Harrison Other (please specify)