Impactos sociais: que visões e que valores?

Abstract

The pilot-project submitted here seeks to carry out a thorough survey of the programmes developed by cultural institutions, where we can observe a clear social intention of starting a broad-based discussion - together with the museum professionals of Oporto city - on the role they play within the community as catalysts of social development. The choice of common indicators for all the museums in the city, in order to allow the comparative evaluation of their social impacts, will be part of this pilot-project. The constant effort of specific groups of technicians who work directly with the audience of museums of different typology, with diverse collections, sizes and problems, will be the first step in the creation of a community for praxis, understood as a selected and self-organized group of people sharing a common goal and the desire to learn what each one knows within the group. This communication introduces the project and the context from which it arises, its justification and the methodologies to be used. The relevance of the museums social impact is lacking a suitable research at local level; thus, the project will contribute to a larger output and to affirming the museums area, considering it as valuable assets to be taken into account when thinking at the development and sustainability of the Oporto city. It may well be expected that the survey to be carried out might be the basis for a debate on fundamental concepts such as inclusion, social function, community and the viewpoint of museum technicians on what they consider the different impacts of their programmes, identifying key areas of intervention. After conducting a methodological pre-evaluation with a working team, the project will be presented in all the museums of the city, which will be invited to participate in specific groups.