Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes Manchester’s ambitious citywide program which aims to enhance the contribution its museum and heritage sectors also make to public health. It focuses on a research project in London on the impact of social prescribing. The book looks at some of the shibboleths of museum access and participation, as well as the easy accusations of elitism and didacticism. It argues that the renegotiation of the barriers to access by socially responsive museums is admirable, but hardly a contribution to the development of a more democratic society. The book provides a case study of a large museum service which is explicitly activists in its pursuit of cultural democracy. It explores the boundaries of the museum and the attempts to renegotiate the various structures and limitations.