Connecting People with Their Museum

ABSTRACT

In western countries, engagement with neighboring communities is an expected part of a museum’s mission. However, in other parts of the world, this is often not the case. In Egypt, the focus of museums has been primarily on foreign tourists. The re-opening of the Mallawi Museum provided the opportunity to undertake a case study to adapt western public outreach methods to this Middle Eastern setting. Through puppet shows, storytelling, living history, and workshops, local children, teachers, and family members were able to experience the museum in an unprecedented fashion. A survey administered to adults at the end of the program revealed a greater understanding and appreciation for cultural heritage. The end goal of such projects is for local populations to recognize the importance of their cultural heritage so that they will be more likely to protect museums and historic sites when threats emerge.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural heritage
• education
• engagement
• outreach
• museums

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Egyptian authorities who supported and facilitated this project, especially, the Director of the Museum Sector, Ilham Salah; the Director of Community Engagement from the Ministry of Antiquities, Rasha Kamal; the governor of Minya, Essam el-Badawi; and the Directors of the Mallawi Museum, Ahmed Ellaithy and Gehan Nasem. Also, integral to the success of this program were the staff at the Mallawi Museum.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

About the authors

Heba Abd el Salam is a Ph.D. candidate in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University. Her expertise is in museum studies and Egyptology.

Dawn McCormack is an Associate Dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Associate Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. McCormack has focused her research on ancient Egyptian kingship and funerary monuments as well as Coptic hermitages.

Brenden Martin is the Director of the Public History Program and Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1997. Martin studies heritage tourism and teaches graduate courses in museum studies and public programming.

Notes

1 For example, see Maisel, “Why Not Go to the Museum Today?”

2 Associated Press, “Palmyra Museum Destroyed by Isis.”

3 Makieh, “Syria Says Reclaims 120 Looted Antiquities.”

4 Cunliffe, Muhesen, and Lostal, “The Destruction of Cultural Property in the Syrian Conflict.”

5 Sheridan and Siemaszko, “Protestors Defended Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.”

6 For examples see de Vries, “Archaeology for the Future at Umm el-Jimal,” 3–5; Allison and Knodell, “We Wanted to Take Real Information”; UNESCO, “Sudanese Cultural Heritage”; Iziko Museums of South Africa, “Outreach”; Chhabra, Sustainable Marketing of Cultural and Heritage Tourism.

7 Nyangila, “Museums and Community Involvement.”

8 For example, see Fushiya, “Archaeological Site Management and Local Involvement”; Lorenzon and Zermani, “Common Ground.”

9 Moser et al., “Transforming Archaeology Through Practice.”

10 Bowen, Newenham-Kahindi, and Herremans, “When Suits Meet Roots.”

11 Intangible cultural heritage includes cultural aspects and attitudes that are a part of a group’s identity such as those associated with music, crafts, dance, food, and traditions that are transferred from generation to generation.

Additional information

Funding

Various entities at Middle Tennessee State University provided funding for this project including the Public History program and the History Department, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Graduate Studies, and the Office of the University Provost.