1. Introduction -- 2. The death of the past and the growth of heritage -- 3. The past as discourse -- 4. Patterns in museum and heritage visiting -- 5. Public attitudes -- 6. Explaining the consumption of heritage -- 7. Archaeology and alternatives: 'sanctioned' and 'non-sanctioned' approaches to the past -- 8. Gaining a sense of the past -- 9. Opening up museums -- Appendix 1: The survey -- Appendix 2: Additional tables
Summary
Finally, he marshals the empirical and theoretical work to make a powerful case for a new approach to attract the outsiders; one which encourages a view of the museum as a service helping its public to see, understand and engage with its own personal, local and multi-faceted past
Two connected issues of pressing intellectual and practical importance are addressed by Nick Merriman in this book; what does the past mean to the general public; and why do certain social groups exclude themselves from institutions, like museums, which explain the past and connect it to the present? Central to the book's answers to these questions is a nation-wide survey which measured public use of and attitudes to the past, and to museums, historic buildings, archaeology and collecting. The author reviews this research in the light of contemporary theory on ideology and representation and goes on to develop a convincing explanation for the failure of museums and similar institutions to connect with the majority of the public
Analysis
Great Britain
Museums Visiting
Notes
Includes index
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-185) and index
