ABSTRACT

Contrary to expectations, in the last chapter it was found that those who participate in treasure hunting or subscribe to beliefs in mysterious forces associated with ancient sites and in prehistoric extra-terrestrials are just as likely to be museum visitors as people who participate in more conventional activities. So far, then, we have isolated a constellation of activities and beliefs associated with the past, but they all seem to be participated in by people who visit museums. Parker's division of society into two leisure classes, privileged and underprivileged, seems to ring increasingly true (Parker 1983: 110), as it seems that a broad division can be made between those people who actively pursue their interest in the past, and those who do not. If we wish to broaden the range of people who use presentations of the past and the other services offered by museums, we must look in more detail at those people who tend not to visit heritage presentations and discover how such people approach the past.