Museums as agents of social inclusion

Overview Recent years have seen the emergence of the term ‘social exclusion’ within United Kingdom and European political rhetoric and discourse, increasingly used to refer to the process by which groups in society become disenfranchised and marginalised. Since the election of New Labour in 1997, the United Kingdom has witnessed widespread acceptance of the concept which now appears central to many areas of government policy making. This growing importance is reflected in the government's creation, in December 1997, of the Social Exclusion Unit which adopts a multi-agency approach to tackle the causes and symptoms of exclusion. The debate around social exclusion has flourished in recent years amongst academics and policy makers, particularly within the fields of social policy and economic development, but this level of analysis has not been reflected within the cultural arena. Museums are being asked to assume new roles and develop new ways of working—in general, to clarify and demonstrate their social purpose and more specifically to reinvent themselves as agents of social inclusion. Despite these new demands being placed on museums, there has been little supporting analysis or questioning of the concept of social inclusion and its relevance to the museum sector. What place, if any, should the museum occupy in the rapidly changing landscape of social inclusion policies? To what extent should the concept of social inclusion require a new approach by museums and in what ways can they begin to contribute towards inclusion policies? Fundamentally, in the combating of social exclusion, what, if anything, can be achieved through the agency of museums? This paper seeks to stimulate debate around this subject and begin to suggest a possible framework within which museums and their relationship to social inclusion can be considered. Drawing on the current academic debate, consideration is given to the origin of the concept and the emergence of the term within political and social policy discourse. The paper then seeks to position the museum in relation to contemporary understandings of social inclusion and explores the relevance and implications for the museum sector, drawing on examples of ways in which museums have begun to respond to this new agenda.