Museums as Ritual Sites: Civilizing Rituals Reconsidered

Museums as Ritual Sites critically examines the assumption that museums inherently function as ritual sites and, in turn, are poised to exert influence on cultural and societal change.

Bringing together a diverse, international group of interdisciplinary scholars and curators, the volume celebrates and critically engages with Carol Duncan’s seminal work, Civilizing Rituals. Presenting a wide-ranging exploration of how museums function as liminal zones in broader societal contexts, the book discusses major topics identified as functioning at the heart of the above-mentioned paradigm shift: diversity and inclusion, consumption, religion, and tradition. These topics are studied through the lens of their ritual implications in museum practice. Presenting case studies on ethnographic, art, history, community, and memorial practices in museums, the book reflects the diversity of the contemporary international museum field. As such, the volume presents a critical and updated revision of the ritual perspective on museums - both as it was presented by Duncan and as it has since been developed in the field of museum studies.

Museums as Ritual Sites will be essential reading for academics and students working in museum studies, heritage studies, cultural anthropology, religious studies, and ritual studies. Museums as Ritual Sites will also be of interest to those working across the humanities and social sciences who are interested in the intersection of museums or archives with indigeneity and decolonization.

Lieke Wijnia (she/ her) is Head of Research and Collections at Stedelijk Museum Schiedam and Fellow of the Centre for Religion and Heritage at Groningen University.

James S. Bielo is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University.