Creativity, interactivity and the hidden structures of power: a reflection on the history and current reality of the museum with the eyes of Foucault

Abstract

This article reflects on the developments of and concerning the museum as a dispositive. It argues why the museum must be considered a dispositive. Then it follows the developments of the modern museum as a dispositive from its rise in the 19th century towards its current digital form. A critical historical reflection shows how structures of power, working within the museum, have changed. This article presents how relations of power in the museum are being woven, and how they produce respectively forms of freedom and regulation, according to the socio-historical context of which the museum is a part. Openness, inclusion and participation appear as key concepts that facilitate a better understanding of the structures of power within the late modern digital museum. These key concepts will help explain why and how the museum as a dispositive connects and relates with late modern society. Corresponding dangers will be pointed out along 3 key dimensions that can be found in the museum – the museum as place of experience, the museum as place of individual effect and data extraction, and the museum as place of creative production and self-exploitation. As a conclusion, the article wants not only to point at important and critical aspects of the late modern museum, but also to provide suggestions for improvements in the future.