“Theory of the theory effect”: reflections on the organization of knowledge in the field of contemporary Museologies

Abstract

The article proposes reflections on the different trends in contemporary museological knowledge and highlights some of the interests involved in the processes of elaboration, reception and formation of epistemologies in the exercise of (de) construction of Museologies of museological making. Based on Pierre Bourdieu's understanding of “theory of the effect of theory”, he outlines some of the strategies for shaping a field of knowledge established between the museal imagination and the scientific imagination. Following this orientation, the intention is to map some attempts to classify theoretical axes or discursive matrices that configure contemporary museological thinking. In the Museologies scenario, this metapoetic attitude gained strength from the second half of the twentieth century with reflections on the political, (po) ethical and epistemological milestones to inspire new museological practices and reorient scientific reading protocols. The methodology is based on bibliographic analysis, having as source the tendencies of museological knowledge evidenced in national and international museological literature, with emphasis on the articles that are part of the dossier “Museums and Museology: theoretical contributions in contemporary times”, published in Revista Museologia & Interdisciplinaridade, of the University of Brasilia, Brazil, in 2020.