Living Religious Heritage and Challenges to Museum Ethics: Reflections from the Monastic Community of Mount Athos

Authors

  • Georgios Alexopoulos Initiative for Heritage Conservancy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5334/jcms.1021208

Keywords:

Mount Athos, Greece, monastic communities, Orthodox heritage, living religious heritage, museum ethics, treasury exhibitions, public display, public accessibility

Abstract

This paper reflects on the challenges living religious heritage poses to contemporary museum ethics and specifically with regard to public display and accessibility. Drawing on extensive research conducted in the monastic community of Mount Athos, Greece, this study outlines the development of the museum concept through the organisation of treasury displays and exhibitions. It examines the ethics that underlie current approaches in the monastic community towards displaying and providing access to collections. It is emphasised that the perceived threats of touristification and museumification are at the centre of an apparent reluctance towards embracing widely adhered to principles of contemporary museology. Nevertheless, it is argued that the role of museum and heritage professionals is crucial in respecting the different value systems of the monasteries while advocating solutions that render Athonite heritage more open to the public.

Author Biography

Georgios Alexopoulos, Initiative for Heritage Conservancy

I hold a BA in archaeology and art history (University of Athens ), an MA in Cultural Heritage Studies and a PhD in Heritage Management (UCL Institute of Archaeology). I have been employed as a Research Associate for the University of York (Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past) and as Visiting Research Fellow for the Initiative for Heritage Conservancy. I am currently collaborating with the Initiative for Heritage Conservancy as a Research Associate.

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Published

2013-11-07

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2013)

Section

Research Article

Categories

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Copyright (c) 2013 The Author(s)

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