1st Edition

Museum Ethics Theory and Practice

Edited By Gary Edson Copyright 1997
    308 Pages
    by Routledge

    308 Pages
    by Routledge

    A number of developments in the museum movement during the last few years have forced museums to give greater attention to ethical issues. Members of a profession are increasingly regarded constituting an ethical community. Every person with such a community must have a sense of personal obligation as well as a responsibilty for others to assure ethical achievement. This volume firmly places notions of ethics in the field of action.
    Museum Ethics considers the theoretical and practical elements of the philosophy of conduct in relation to critical contemporaty issues and museums. This discussion encompasses the procurement of artifacts, the rights of indigenous peoples, repatriation, the politics of display, the conservation of objects and the role of education, as well as the day-to-day management of a museum. All persons active in museum matters, whether custodian, curator, or trustee have an ethical obligation to the museum profession and the public. This volume will allow the professional and student to work towards a more responsible and responsive museum community.

    Dedication, Epigraph, Table of Contents, List of Figures, Forward, Acknowledgement, Introduction, Part One: Ethics For Museums, Chapter 1. Ethics Gary Edson, Chapter 2. Ethics and the Profession Gary Edson, Chapter 3. Ethics and Museums Gary Edson, Chapter 4. Ethics and Duty Gary Edson, Chapter 5. Ethics and Truth Gary Edson, Chapter 6. Ethics and the Museum Community Gary Edson, Chapter 7. Ethics as a Code Gary Edson, Part Two: Ethical Perspectives, Introduction to Part Two Gary Edson, Chapter 8. Ethics and Cultural Identity Silas Okita, Chapter 9. Ethics and Indigenous People Amareswar Galla, Chapter 10. Ethics and Training Piet Pouw, Chapter 11. Ethics and Museology Tomislav Sola, Chapter 12. Ethics and the Environment Tereza Scheiner, Chapter 13. Ethics and Collecting Paul Perrot, Chapter 14. Ethics and Preventive Conservation Stephen Williams, Chapter 15. Ethics and Conservation Robert Child, Chapter 16. Ethics and Exhibitions David Dean, Chapter 17. Ethics and Education Johanne Landry, ICOM Code of Professional Ethics, Contributors, Reference and Notes, Glossary, Bibliography, Index.

    Biography

    Gary Edson is Director of the renowned museum training program at Texas Tech University and a lecturer on its courses, as well as Executive Director of the large university museum. He has travelled extensively and has recently given museum-related training workshops in Ecuador and Paraguay. He is co-author of Handbook for Museums (1994), and editor of the International Directory of Museum Training (1995).

    'A very good and balanced view of an essential topic for all museum professionals.' - Marilyn Scott, University of Greenwich