The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics (Culture : Policy and Politics)

Rating:
Summary: pop-Foucault
Review: A glib account of the history of the museum, written in easi-Foucault language which simply adapts the traditional 70s sociological model of 'social control' - museums form part of the bourgeois plot to control the people, along with schools etc. In the end, the account is nothing more than conspiracy theory.

Rating:
Summary: Rediculously complex
Review: As a museum professional with over twelve years experience designing and producing exhibitions for a wide variety of subject matter i was immediately interested in Tony Bennet's book. The summary on the back mapped out, in plain english, a book that detailed the social and political forces that resulted in and shaped the modern concept of the museum.
However once i had purchase the book and actually tried to read it I found myself drowning in Foucault -ian language that ultimately obscures any observations that Mr Bennet may have had. This book is only for those with a college degree in philosophy,as it seems more focused on showing us all how clever Mr Bennet is than actually dealing with the subject matter. Completely inaccessible to all but the most acedemic minded scholars