ABSTRACT
Jan Packer found that museums can provide a restorative environment in which visitors can recover from the demands and pressures of their lives. H. Chatterjee and G. Noble examined the effects of patients handling museum objects while in hospitals and care homes, and found significant improvement in what they terms "positive emotion", and happiness. Economic, psychic, and public health benefits associated with museum attendance reinforce the museum's identity as an institution that is important to and supportive of general well-being. The consensus for many museum researchers is that the art museum is an exclusive space, and this is an observation that has attracted and continues to attract deep and prolonged study. The decolonization movement consists of a loose US-based coalition of activists, writers, teachers, and museum visitors who are convinced that museums may no longer pretend to be neutral spaces, above the fray of cultural contests. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
