Musealization and material culture of Science & Technology

Abstract

The article discusses the material culture of Science and Technology preserved in museums, by means of the notion of musealization - which is defined as a set of selective processes based on adding value to things of different natures to which is assigned the role of document, and therefore become object of preservation and dissemination. The expansion of the concept of document is approached from the contribution of Annales School of History, and from Documentation - field of study and research created in the early twentieth century by Paul Otlet. The text emphasizes the pioneering contributions of Otlet and Suzanne Briet, influential authors in subsequent studies, particularly since the 1980s. Material culture studies, one of the research foundations, address the world of objects as a significant part of human cultural practice, highlight the mutual relations between people and objects, and reveal the ways in which culture is produced, transmitted and received. The issues presented in the text are illustrated by four objects: a tide predictor, a meridian refracting telescope and a linear particle accelerator belonging to the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences collections, and a coelostat that no longer exists, but whose existence is confirmed by written documents and possibly material evidences in the Museum's collection.