Navigating Tensions and Challenges of Participatory History-Making in a Museum: a Public History Project at the House of European History
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This dissertation investigates how public history practitioners can purposefully navigate the inherent tensions of participatory history-making in museum spaces, as demonstrated through the primary case study of the Participatory Public History Lab (PPHL) developed in collaboration with the House of European History (HEH). The research examines the complex process of steering between institutional priorities and collaborative approaches, offering concrete strategies for handling tensions that arise when introducing polyvocal narratives into traditional museum frameworks. The study examines a series of workshops conducted with 14 students from four universities across Europe. The participants created new historical narratives that provide alternative interpretations to one of the HEH's displays in the permanent exhibition. Key findings reveal that while the project introduced polyvocality, enriching narratives through multiple voices, the participatory approach also presented significant challenges. The central tension between maintaining institutional standards of coherence and implementing participatory frameworks required careful navigation throughout all phases of the project. Three significant findings emerged from this negotiation process. First, the participatory process demonstrated how participant-generated content could both complicate and enhance the process of history production while often requiring creative mediation techniques to meet museum expectations. Second, transforming these contributions into an interactive installation revealed fundamental conflicts among historical accuracy, visitor engagement, participatory approaches, and curatorial control. Third, the project developed practical methods for channelling differences in professional and academic approaches into productive outcomes rather than impasses. The PPHL case study ultimately provides a roadmap for navigating participatory tensions in museum contexts. It demonstrates that while collaborative history-making can diversify narratives, success depends on developing flexible strategies to address institutional constraints. These findings offer transferable insights for public historians and museum practitioners working at the intersection of community knowledge, polyvocality, and participation.
Author: PORTESANI, Camilla Elisa
Language: English
Subfield: Museology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7164791131