Community-based Approach to Museum Development in Asia and the Pacific – UNESCO (2010)

In 2010, SEAMEO SPAFA partnered with UNESCO to collect 10 articles on Community-based approaches to museum development in Asia and the Pacific for cultural and sustainable development.

To view the articles compiled in the publication of the above title, please click on the following link:

Access to UNESCO website

Subsequent to the above project, SEAMEO SPAFA collected further articles from community-based museums in Southeast Asia that outline different approaches in enhancing the role of the museum in the service of community development. The successes achieved and the challenges are described in the following two examples (in PDF format) along with the activities of the community-based museums, which provide further insights into their development and the various management styles applied since their inception.

pdf-trans-imgThe Cambodia Landmine Museum

pdf-trans-imgPhrae Free Thai Community Based Museum

Concerning the concept of community-based museum management, many questions are raised such as, “What does it mean to be community-based?” The scope is indeed wide in relation to the ‘by the community’, or ‘for the community’ question that is asked in trying to define the term ‘community-based’. As community museums emerge from local communities that often have little expertise in museum management, the papers also show many support mechanisms in establishing or providing assistance to the museums. We therefore hope that the articles will provide useful inputs for anyone interested in the concept of community-based museum management.

If you are interested in contributing articles relating to this issue, please contact us.

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