Awangardowe teorie czy prawdopodobne scenariusze? Muzea w świetle krytycznych studiów nad dziedzictwem
Avant-garde Theories or Plausible Scenarios? Museums In the Light of Critical Heritage Studies

Summary/Abstract: The paper discusses theoretical and practical proposals for redefining the role of the museum, its practices, and collections offered by representatives of critical heritage studies, an interdisciplinary research field situated at the intersection of anthropology, archaeology, ethnology, history, art history, environmental humanities, conservation, law, museum studies, and tourism. Critical heritage studies, by making a paradigmatic shift towards posthumanism, put forward bold and radical postulates concerning, among other things, transcending traditional binary oppositions used in heritage practice (natural vs. cultural, material vs. immaterial, secular vs. religious). However, to what extent do these new theories translate into practice? Are they merely avant-garde and inspiring proposals with no grounding in reality? Or, conversely, are they already materializing as plausible scenarios for heritage? Finally, how can the proposals of critical heritage studies be realized within the museum institution, which remains one of the main subjects of research conducted in this spirit? The article addresses the above research questions by: 1) probing new conceptualizations of the museum’s role emerging from the texts of critical heritage studies scholars; 2) discussing radical practices and their potential realization in museum institutions; and 3) tackling the future-oriented issue of collections and museum objects that go beyond the past and present.

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