CHALLENGES OF NEW MUSEOLOGY IN PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF DISSONANT HERITAGE

Text topic: New Museology Between Theory and Practice

Text author: Милица Божић Маројевић

There are only a few countries in the modern world that have not been established as a result of violence and conflict. Material evidence and oral traditions remained after these events, but science has not yet reached a consensus on whether they should be kept, let alone on how to present and interpret them. This paper deals with the challenges and obstacles that management of such heritage puts in front of the new museology. The emphasis on the personal experience and participation, addressing current, existential issues and hardships, deinstitutionalization, stepping out to open spaces, popularization of the content, decentralization, involvement of the local communities and therefore society as a whole – all of these are elements on which the new museology has been based for nearly half a century. The challenge lies in finding the right balance and ensuring systematic, methodological applications with the introduction of certain standards. So far, the principle - all is possible and nothing is a must - has failed to achieve results. It is up to the museologists to be arbitrators of sorts and to motivate, coordinate and lead local communities in the efforts to preserve each layer of dissonant heritage from oblivion.