Cultural Darwinism and the Perils of Privatization: The Case of American Museums

Abstract

The basis for understanding public support for the arts in the United States is the absence of any precedent for direct national involvement (Larson 1983 Larson, Gary O. 1983. The Reluctant Patron: The United States Government and the Arts, 1943–1965. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. doi: 10.1086/ahr/89.2.552.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). The American approach to culture has rejected any collective state intervention. At root, laissez-faire is a philosophy or practice characterized by the deliberate abstention from direction or planning by the state. It is a policy of non-interference especially with what is seen as individual freedom of choice and action. The belief is that the free market is the best means for allocating values. This ideological stance is often criticized, however, for failing to address questions of representativeness in a heterogeneous society. Support for public culture, by contrast, typically argues for policies that would promote greater diversity in the nation’s cultural life with enhanced accessibility for broader segments of the public. What will be explored herein is a study of the implications of a ‘laissez-faire cultural policy’ for museums in the United States and the resulting specter of Cultural Darwinism from this privatization.

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