1 From ‘Telling’ to ‘Consulting’: A Perspective on Museums and Modes of Public Engagement

Abstract

‘Communication’, ‘education’, ‘learning’, ‘outreach’, ‘participation’ and ‘engagement’ are all terms that have been used when referring to the public-archaeology interface. The terminology issue reflects both the diversity of understandings of the public engagement field, and also the diversity of approaches that exist. This, in turn, also reflects the diverse theoretical backgrounds of the researchers and ‘practitioners’ who work in this field, the remit of which is to develop and understand the relationship between the public and the content, methods, processes and practices used to study the past through archaeology. Despite the differences, a common thread in all of the definitions and approaches to participation/engagement in archaeology seems to be the role that the public is perceived to play and the nature and role of the disciplinary knowledge. By presenting the different public engagement frameworks commonly used, this chapter aims to make explicit the goals of different public engagement (PE) activities for different audiences with the view to help public engagement in archaeology (PEA) researchers and practitioners identify, utilise and study the elements that lead to good quality engagement. Combining theoretical perspectives and research conducted in the areas of science communication, informal learning and museum communication, the chapter proposes a new framework which links PE activities with their underlying communication and learning approaches and aligns them with appropriate methodological frameworks. Specifically, this chapter: (1) presents and defines the terms associated with the public participation/engagement field; (2) discusses the different approaches and models of public participation movement, using examples from different fields; (3) shows their link to particular communication, learning and (participant) research approaches, and (4) discusses tested research frameworks and proposes new ones.

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