új szerelmem az ökomúzeum

An ecomuseum is a museum focused on the identity of a place, largely based on local participation and aiming to enhance the welfare and development of local communities.

Contemporary museums are more and more museum of ideas rather than
museums of objects. In this move, it is harder to establish rigorous
definitions. Furthermore, the relative diffusion of the ideas of the Nouvelle
Muséologie only makes the situation more muddled, since many of the
characteristics believed to be peculiar to ecomuseums, such as in situ
interpretation or the involvement of the local community, may actually be
typical of and effectively implemented by many of the innovative museums
that belong to traditional theme typologies.
By the beginnings, one of the most effective definition compares an
ecomuseum with a classic museum: essentially a cultural process, identified
with a community (population), on a territory, using the common heritage as
a resource for development, as opposed to the more classical museum, an
institution characterized by a collection, in a building, for a public of visitors
(H. de Varine, 1996).
Peter Davis (P. Davis, 1999, Ecomuseums: a sense of place, Newcastle,
Newcastle Univ. Press) states that the degree to which a museum
demonstrates true ecomuseum characteristics might be gauged by the
amount of overlap in a three circles model (community, museum and social,
cultural, natural environment) and in its ability to capture a sense of place.
Kazuochi Hoara gives an effective description of the contents of the circles
(K. Hoara, 1998, The image of Ecomuseum in Japan, Pacific Friends 25/12).
Maurizio Maggi defines an ecomuseums as a very special kind of museum
based on an agreement by which a local community takes care of a place
(M.Maggi, 2002, Ecomusei. Guida europea, Torino-Londra-Venezia,
Umberto Allemandi & C.).
Where:
- agreement means a long term commitment, not necessarily an
obligation by the law
- local community means a local authority and a local population jointly
- take care means that some ethic commitment and a vision for a future
local development are needed
- place means not just a surface but complex layers of cultural, social,
environmental values which define a unique local heritage
The first three issues are part of the so called local network while the forth is
quite close to the idea of milieu. These two elements play a central role in
Ires present studies on the so called Place based Local System.
Also the Chinese school contribution must be mentioned. Su Donghai (Su
Donghai, 2006, Communication and Exploration, SCM-IRES-PAT, Trento-
Beijing) summarized the intense work developed by the Chinese and
Norwegian museologists (among them, the lamented John Aage Gjestrum)
in the last decade of the 20th century in the Liuzhi Principles.
1. The people of the villages are the true owners of their culture. They
have the right to interpret and validate it themselves.
2. The meaning of culture and its values can be defined only by human
perception and interpretation based on knowledge. Cultural
competence must be enhanced.
3. Public participation is essential to the eco-museums. Culture is a
common and democratic asset, and must be democratically managed .
4. When there is a conflict between tourism and preservation of culture
the latter must be given priority. The genuine heritage should not be
sold out, but production of quality souvenirs based on traditional crafts
should be encouraged.
5. Long term and holistic planning is of utmost importance. Short time
economic profits that destroy culture in the long term must be avoided.
6. Cultural heritage protection must be integrated in a total environmental
approach. Traditional techniques and materials are essential in this
respect.
7. Visitors have a moral obligation to behave respectfully. They must be
given a code of conduct .
8. There is no bible for eco-museums. They will all be different according
to the specific culture and situation of the society they present.
9. Social development is a prerequisite for establishing eco-museums in
living societies. The well being of the inhabitants must be enhanced in
a way that does not compromise the traditional values.