ABSTRACT

Museums are increasingly seen as a useful educational tool not only in terms of their traditional audiences, but also for those categories of visitors who have low levels of engagement with museums and cultural organisations. In France, for example, museums are regularly used to develop a sense of belonging in relation to the recovery of young people in difficult situations, becoming a tool for social inclusion (Nardi, 2014). However, museum participation in this kind of work requires highly trained mediators who understand the social problems themselves and can identify where museums are able to devise activities capable of developing the interest of non-typical visitors. In addition, recent research (Parry, 2010) has clearly shown the need to renew the traditional teaching offer of museums and create a more dynamic and interactive programme which makes good use of emerging technologies. The challenge, amongst others, that the European Union (EU) foresees in the Horizon 2020 (Horizon 2020) programme is the need for substantial investments to establish an ‘inclusive, innovative and secure society’. Use of museums as a mediation tool could be an effective response to the social problems that Italy, in particular, is experiencing due to the 2008 economic crisis. Enabling such innovation will require meaningful exchange across the sector and an in-depth understanding of difficult socio-economic realities, as well as efforts to build a bridge between public and private academic institutions and museums in Italy and abroad. From this perspective, museums can be seen as an important tool for social innovation that is capable of producing value and economic growth for countries that adequately invest in culture (Sandell, 2002).