Museums and social change

This study highlights the social role of museums in contemporary museological practice, based on two specific and diverse realities. On the one hand, by focusing on the social inclusion concept applied to the museum practice in the United Kingdom from the mid-1990s on, through the analysis of the literature produced about the subject. On the other hand, by understanding the social role of museums as theorised and practised in Brazil, through the analysis of three case studies from the same period. From the study of these two perspectives, comparisons between them are built, the differences are put into context, and hypotheses relating to the understanding of the variables are proposed. As a result, it will be seen how the social inclusion concept applied to museums has been developed in the United Kingdom, and what are the circumstances that led to its development and applicability. For the Brazilian case, the analysis of the case studies has led to a focus on the social role of museums as consonant to their educational role, and attempts to understand this particularity are suggested.