David Henry

‘Creating Space to Listen: Museums, Participation and Intercultural Dialogue’ (PhD in History, 2019).

This thesis examined the emergence, practice, and social meaning of intercultural dialogue as participatory practice in museums. I based my research on a project I worked on at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum called Talking Difference, which invited participants to record video questions and answers in response to one another on the topics of identity, cultural diversity and racism. I asked how dialogue projects like Talking Difference alter the governmental role of museums, and how museums might better facilitate dialogue about these crucial and challenging topics. Drawing primarily on qualitative analysis of digital media, I argued that since museums cannot provide neutral forums for dialogue, they should actively promote social justice by curating the content of these projects, presenting affecting personal accounts alongside an understanding of their social and historical contexts.

Supervisors: Associate Professor Sara Wills, Professor Chris Healy