The rapid changes in the global society require the researchers to investigate museums as social institutions and evaluate their functional potential for the deepening of understanding the social-cultural reality. Nowadays, museums are usually regarded merely in the relation to the categories of Cultural Studies and Museology, but museums are also linked to the social-cultural interrelations, and museums as the institutions thus include multiple social implications.
Social Functions of Museums
The present-day global transformations increase the cultural-spatial diversity in modern society. Globalization stimulates not merely the global integration but the regional division as well. The problems of social relations, in the regional culture, in particular, demonstrate the level of transformation in the public worldview and perception of reality. The reassessment of moral values and the search for new ideas make society look at the issue of cultural patrimony and national consciousness from a new perspective. By analyzing the social-cultural space in different regions, one can obtain the opportunity to see the deep interrelations between the parts and the whole manifested in culture and art.
According to James Cuno, by restricting the trade in the museums’ “self-defined heritage,” the governments limit the access to cultural objects and promote the stereotypes of international division (Cuno par. 3). In this way, the policies interfere with the fulfillment of the main museum’s function of uniting the nations through demonstration of cultural diversity and richness of humanity.
Museums are the keepers of cultural heritage and social memory, and they interrelate with the community directly. Through the cultural processes, museums unify the generations, their spiritual backgrounds, and their dignity. And in the context of rapid urban growth, museums are considered the key contributors to the incorporation of cultural and ethical values into the social consciousness (Cuno par. 5).
By promoting aesthetic and cultural values, the museums may provoke the people’s interest in addressing the emotional and psychological needs through contact with cultural and artistic objects. However, smart local and national policies are required to achieve significant positive results. The cultural institutions need to be equally included in the urban infrastructures, and the importance of art and culture should be emphasized through education and mass media.
Museum as the social institution is formed according to the social needs for the preservation of cultural patrimony, national identity, and social memory of humanity. It plays an important role in the establishment of the civil community – it introduces knowledge, ideas, and socially valuable emotions to people and promotes the value attitude to history and culture.
Conclusion
Museums appear only in societies characterized by a high level of social evolution, and the intensive development of museums takes place with the multidimensional support of the governments. The museums perform the function of intercultural communication. The attendance of museums complies with the main purpose of their creation and development – the support of the historical and cultural communion, interpretation of cultural objects, and the individual growth and education. Therefore, access to museums should be equal and approachable for all people.
The historical and cultural contexts create the background for the development of regional and urban culture. The urban culture may be formed through the collaboration of these contexts, social practices, and the museums in particular. Thus, it is important to make museums a part of the urban social practices to stimulate regional cultural development. In this way, the museums may become the basis for the creation of a unified cultural center.
Works Cited
Cuno, James. “The Arts on the World Economic Stage—Notes from Davos.” The Getty Iris. 2013. Web.