Museology without a Prefix: Some Thoughts on the Epistemology and Methodology of an Integrated Approach

This paper advocates the integrity of museology as a field of study that
encompasses all aspects of the museal landscape. Such potential for
integrity is based on a far-reaching, yet solid body of research questions,
methods and knowledge domains, rather than piecemeal or loosely
connected post-modern approaches to the field. A conceptualisation of
museology ‘without a prefix’ promotes an integrated approach and purpose
rather than prescriptive frameworks, and operates beyond common
museological divides like objects vs. people, academics vs. practitioners,
‘old’ vs. ‘new’. The integrity of museology is (or should be) largely maintained
through the substantiation of theory with empirically grounded arguments.
This claim brings forward questions about the epistemology and
methodology of an integrated approach. From epistemological perspective,
the paper examines the scope of museological knowledge, as well as the
degree of expertise developed in various domains. In terms of methodology,
it outlines current methods, tools and research practices with particular focus
on the rise of ethnographic studies.