Open Call for Papers
The Journal Nordic Museology 2013:2

Museums and the Controversial
Museums are defined not only by the objects they contain and the topics they embrace but also by what they do not obtain, and the topics they avoid.
In recent years more and more museums have engaged in issues that preoccupy society at large. But most museums still shy away from controversial issues such as racism, genetics, terrorism, controversial political issues, immigration, provocative art, and so on.

This edition welcomes papers that look at topics or categories of objects that are not invited into museums, or objects that are welcomed but diminished or altered when institutionalized. The topic could be framed by a variety of theoretical and philosophical approaches, and encompass topics such as material culture, the role of museums in society, curating, exhibitions, theory and practice of museums.
For example: What are the categories that museums struggle with obtaining and exhibiting in a meaningful way, both in the past and at present?
A case in point could be the exhibition of Street Art in art museums, and how this art form does not survive with its original intentions intact when framed by the museum. Another example is the relatively modest representation of non-European culture in European survey museums, or the lack of art works by female artists in art museums. In recent years museums themselves have become the focal point of protest by the Occupy Museums movement. Digital museums, like the Unstraight Museum and the Museum of Broken Relationships, collect and display objects and narratives that are not included in the established physical museums.

We welcome papers that discuss the consequences or transformations museums go through when they engage in hot topics.
We hope to receive papers that discuss omission and admission in museums in all shapes and forms. Or papers that discuss the ability of museums to function as social platforms concerned with all aspects of public culture, including the controversial.

INSPIRATION
* Cameron, Fiona & Lynda Kelly (2010) Hot Topics, Public Culture, Museums. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
* Dubin, Steven (1999) Displays of Power. Controversy in the American Museum from the Enola Gay to Sensation. New York & London: New York University Press.
* Silvén, Eva & Anders Björklund, eds. (2006). Svåra saker. Ting och berättelser som upprör och berör/ Difficult Matters. Objects and Narratives that Disturb and Affect. Stockholm: Nordiska Museet. With the introduction in English. Full text: http://www.nordiskamuseet.se/upload/documents/576.pdf
* Occupy Museums http://occupymuseums.org
* The Unstraight Museum http://www.unstraight.org/
* Museum of Broken Relationships http://brokenships.com/
* Brudd, Norway:
https://www.abmstatistikk.no/abmuweb/museum/for-sektoren/formidling/brudd
http://kulturradet.no/museum-arkiv-kulturvern/vis-artikkel/-/asset_publisher/02cG/content/publikasjon-brudd
https://www.abmstatistikk.no/abmuweb/museum/for-sektoren/publisert/abm-skrift/brudd.pdf

DEADLINE
Submission of articles 1 July 2013

LANGUAGES
The Journal accepts manuscripts in English; and first languages Swedish, Danish, Norwegian.

GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS
Manuscripts should have a maximum length of 7000 words including notes and references in the final printout, with double line spacing. For more guidelines visit http://www.nordiskmuseologi.org/guidelines.html

EDITORS (This edition only)
• Brita Brenna, chief editor. Institutt for kulturstudier og orientalske språk, Universitetet i Oslo. b.s.brenna@ikos.uio.no
• Sigurjon Baldur Hafsteinsson, editor. Dept. of Museology, School of Social Sciences, University of Iceland. sbh@hi.is
• Eva Silvén, editor. Nordiska Museet, Sverige. eva.silven@nordiskamuseet.se
• Britta Tøndborg, guest editor. Center for Museologi, Århus Universitet. cfmbt@hum.au.dk

ABOUT
The Journal Nordic Museology
http://www.nordiskmuseologi.org
Nordisk Museologi (Nordic Museology) is a forum for critical scholarly discussion of museum and heritage subjects in the Nordic countries. The twice-yearly peer-reviewed journal focuses on issues and themes currently in the spotlight in the fields of museology, art, natural and cultural heritage, with contributions from many different professions and different bodies – thus providing a broad spectrum of approaches and insights. 
Nordisk Museologi receives financial support from the Nordic Board for Periodicals in the Humanities and Social Sciences www.nos-nop.org, and is acknowledged by the official museums associations in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.