I am super proud of a new book that I edited together with dr. James Bielo. Museums as Ritual Sites. Civilizing Rituals Reconsidered is published on October 14, and critically examines the assumption that museums inherently function as ritual sites and, in turn, are poised to exert influence on cultural and societal change. Besides editing and writing the introduction to the volume, I also wrote a chapter on the Mary Magdalene exhibition I curated for Museum Catharijneconvent in 2021.

Bringing together a diverse, international group of interdisciplinary scholars and curators, the volume celebrates and critically engages with Carol Duncan’s seminal work, Civilizing Rituals (1995). Presenting a wide-ranging exploration of how museums function as liminal zones in broader societal contexts, the book discusses major topics identified as functioning at the heart of the above-mentioned paradigm shift:  diversity and inclusion, consumption, religion, and tradition. These topics are studied through the lens of their ritual implications in museum practice. Presenting case studies on ethnographic, art, history, community, and memorial practices in museums, the book reflects the diversity of the contemporary international museum field. As such, the volume presents a critical and updated revision of the ritual perspective on museums – both as it was presented by Duncan and as it has since been developed in the field of museum studies.

Museums as Ritual Sites. Civilizing Rituals Reconsidered is essential reading for academics and students working in museum studies, heritage studies, cultural anthropology, religious studies, and ritual studies. 

Contributors to the book are: Yaniv Feller, Pamela E. Klassen, Claire Neid, Karine Duhamel, Mary Bouquet, Patricia A. Banks, Marisa Karyl Franz, Hwasun Choe, Duane Jethro, Sarah Dees, Marie Vejrup Nielsen, Sanne Andersen, James S. Bielo and Lieke Wijnia.