Challenges of community museums in southern Chile: Redefining sustainability from a situated perspective

Abstract

From the identification of dimensions of sustainability, both in the museological and in the development fields, epistemic affinities are found regarding what sustainability represents for museums and communities in a wider scope. The article analyzes how small-scale museums, with successes and limitations, contribute to the sustainability and development of the community to which they belong. Through the characterization and analysis of three case studies in the Region of Los Ríos, Chile, synergistic dimensions are identified that from the empirical contribute to the theoretical discussion on sustainability and relational values ??such as collaboration, reciprocity and relevance. It is concluded that the projection of this type of museums, is based, first, on the ability to exercise critical reflection, second, on the construction of new environmental and cultural rationalities and third, on the emergence of new social actors whose affective disposition, contribute to make sustainability viable in a situated way.