ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the development of the practice in a UK context, tracing its policy genealogy and its impact on shaping practice. It provides a policy genealogy as a lens for understanding recent formulations of the social role of the museum. The chapter also examines the campaigns of the Museums Association and a case study of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM), a large local authority museum service in the North East of England. It outlines a shifting focus of the social role of museum. The chapter shows how by taking a longer policy view it is possible to discern some of the shifting language and form of the social role of the museum. The case of TWAM shows how the museum practice developed in an institution with a long-term commitment to its social responsibility. In some ways, the case of TWAM is exceptional because of its institutional history and long-term commitment to social inclusion.
