Museus e museologia: conceitos e relações em retrospectiva

Abstract

The examination of different concepts and their relationships is one of the activities that the theoretical efforts of a field must focus on, as they are the bases on which theories must be discussed and expanded. This article proposes a conceptual retrospective as a way of instigating debates that have their centralities in the construction of a future. For this, it was necessary to return to the history of the constitution of the museological institutions, as well as the relations and development within the field of Museology; to revisit the definitions of the basic processes and the activities performed in museums, observing their contexts, evolutions and updates; as well as underlining issues inherent to the intrinsic ethical aspects of these spaces. In this context, fundamental concepts, such as Museum, Museology, musealization, and museality, are described, analyzed and correlated, through the propositions made by prominent authors in the field, affiliated to highly relevant instances such as the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM) and the Regional Subcommittee of ICOFOM for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICOFOM LAM). Emerging and contemporary issues are debated, in dialogue with the theory and the demands of museum practice, based on the conceptual foundations built in the 20th century. Lastly, we highlight the importance of recapturing the theoretical pathway of Museology, mainly because the path already taken provides the foundations that guide the professional and academic performance in favor of the development of the field.