Within memory studies it is not uncommon to refer to a wide array of practices as well as research techniques as 'memory work'. The term highlights an element of process in collective memory (Fischer 2015) and is considered a "qualitative, interpretivist research approach focused on memories, which employs a range of methodologies and techniques to elicit and 'process' memories" (Marschall 2019). This study starts with the assumption that such processes (also) take place in museums. Museums have been evolving to include new narratives and low-barrier audience engagement, and continue to take on a more active role in forwarding social change. One of their strategies includes participatory practices (Simon 2010), resulting in a type of 'participatory memory work' - where museum content is shaped by publics. In this paper I aim to discuss this phrase by means of identifying and discussing the idea of 'work' in it. I combine a literature study to consider the use of 'memory work' in memory and heritage studies, with empirical data from two institutions in Germany and Sweden. The literature study shows first that 'memory work' as a concept can consider abstract-level implications of memory institutions in society and rarely includes a consideration of 'work' in terms of labor. Second, the empirical data suggests that in participatory projects all actors are involved in some type of 'work', including professionals and participants. It appears that participatory practices in memory institutions not only challenge our understanding of what museum work is, but provide new interpretations of 'memory work' as a whole. A reinterpretation of the concept of memory work to include practice converges the abstract 'work' a museum does in society and the professional and participatory practices on the ground. In turn, this opens up new possibilities to study the application of theory in practice and vice versa, as well as allow for professionals to better contextualise their everyday practice.
Bibliography
Fischer, Nina. Memory Work: The Second Generation. Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137557629.
Marschall, Sabine. "Memory Work versus Memory-Work and Its Utility in Heritage Tourism." Current Issues in Tourism 22, no. 14 (August 27, 2019): 1659–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2018.1544230.
Simon, Nina. The Participatory Museum. Santa Cruz, CA: Museum 2.0, 2010.
