Evolution and research trends of inclusive museum studies: a bibliometric approach

Abstract

Inclusion is defined as the opportunity disabled people have to fully participate in different contexts: education, work, consumption, entertainment, and other daily social activities. For an understanding of that, this study aims at examine the evolution and research trends of the field of inclusive museums in order propose a line of research that includes growing and emerging concepts in this area of knowledge. For that purpose, technological mapping was carried out by means of a bibliometric analysis that examined 284 publications indexed in Scopus from 1987 to 2018. Results indicate that 47 countries have carried out studies on inclusive museums, within the framework of the research lines inclusive education and education in museums. Research that has been disseminated in greater measure through American journals. This bibliometric study on inclusive museums enabled to shed light on the productivity, impact, and networking of researchers in this field. Finally, this study constitutes a relevant starting point that not only presents trends in the field of inclusive museums but also encourages university communities and cultural institutions (such as Latin American museums) to consider the role they play in said area, as well as the visibility of their research efforts.