What Are Museums For? *

This chapter aims to do three things. First, it will put recent Nordic museum developments into context, and it will introduce the reader to the thoughts and ideas of Robert R. Janes, as presented in his 2009 book Museums in a Troubled World: Renewal, Irrelevance or Collapse? These initial sections are developed by the first author. This is then followed by a themed discussion between the first author and Robert R. Janes, drawing on his perspectives concerning the “troubled museums.” Finally, a hands-on perspective is added, as some current challenges in the sector are treated, hopefully adding to a prosperous debate on the future of Nordic museums. ¹ It should be stressed that, while aiming for debate, the terms and concepts presented by the authors might seem open ended; this is fully intentional, as the authors are not pressing for any predetermined, fixed model, or solution. Rather, our intention is to encourage a more reflective and self-critical approach to museum development, which might present itself in a variety of ways. In other words, in reading through the text the keyword should be “reflection” and not “fixed solution.”