Abstract
Museums can be conceived as “urban refuges,” “places” that function as centers for gathering and reflection, and “drivers of urban transformation” (Layuno, 2003; Lizama et al., 2022). Community museums shed light on the factors that foster stronger ties with the community, as they serve as “instruments” enabling their members “to learn about and reflect on their history and communal practices, thereby deepening their connection to collective memory” (Morales, 2019: 53). However, they are not exempt from conflicts (Weiglhofer et al., 2023). This study examines the case of the Museo del Estallido Social (MES), which documents the social uprising of October 18, 2019, in Chile, constructing its narrative through testimonies, icons, and tangible elements that form part of the collective imagination surrounding social struggle. The objective is to explore community museums—particularly the MES—and the processes through which they become places, considering the tensions arising from the preservation of their memories. The study employs an empirical, descriptive, and mixed-methods approach, analyzing this case through a multidisciplinary and multi-methodological strategy across five dimensions: historical, sociocultural, territorial-architectural, museological, and communicational. This research aims to deepen the discussion on community museums, with a special focus on the MES, by examining the factors influencing their creation and maintenance, as well as the conflicts that threaten their existence as places for the community and their relationships with the neighborhood, its inhabitants, and the city.
Presenters
Laura GallardoAssociate Professor, Architecture, Universidad de Chile, Región Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Community Museum, Place, Identity, Heritage
