From discovery to encounter: The new role of ethnographic museums. : The case study of the National Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum‘L. Pigorini’.

Abstract: Since its creation, the ethnographic museums have aimed to represent the other cultures. The most recent trends in museology have encouraged the ethnographic museums to go beyond the discovery and to create a space of intercultural dialogue. This thesis analyses the impact of multiculturalism and postcolonialism on the temporary exhibitions organised at the National Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum ‘L. Pigorini’. The study is conducted on the African heritage and in the selected period 1994-2014. The research is carried out pinpointing three main channels through which the two ideological orientations could penetrate in the museum practices. By the evaluation of the exhibitions, this study provides a new methodology for the understanding of the influences of the most recent trends in museology within the museum contexts.