Museums and populism(s) – Perspectives from an emerging field of research
We are currently witnessing the rise of nationalist and populist politics in many European countries. In our research project Challenging Populist Truth-Making in Europe: The Role of Museums in a ‘Post-Truth’ European Society (CHAPTER), funded by the VolkswagenStiftung, we are looking into the impacts of populist politics on the cultural sphere, and specifically on European museums. In two recent public events in the Making Museums Matter Series of Online Discussions, we invited both researchers and museum practitioners to discuss the current issues that museums are facing, and present strategies that museums have developed in order to challenge the rise of populism. Here, the members of the CHAPTER research team reflect and share their thoughts on some of the aspects of populism covered in these events: terminology, openness, dialogue and tension.