MUSEUM INTERNATIONAL
Vol. 68 No. 269-27
The role of museums in a changing society Call for Papers ICOM is preparing a double issue of Museum International on the theme The role of museums in a changing society. The issue will be overseen by the Editorial Board with Prof. Dr Tereza Scheiner as Editor in Chief. All proposals submitted will be assessed for suitability and subsequent articles will go through a peer review process. The issue is expected to be published, in collaboration with Wiley Blackwell, by July 2016.

The role of museums in a changing society Since its creation, ICOM has emphasised the importance of museums as tools for individual improvement and social change – through public participation, educational programmes and outreach activities.
ICOM’s general conferences in 1968 and 1971 reinforced this perspective, with an emphasis on museums’ mission to serve society as a whole and their responsibility to regional communities. In 1972, The Declaration of Santiago, Chile, which followed the roundtable organised by UNESCO, urged museums to become agents of change promoting diversity and human rights. In the aftermath of these events, museums have increasingly incorporated the concept of social responsibility into their discourse from different perspectives and at different levels of implementation.
Technological, social, political, environmental and economic change has accelerated on a worldwide level, and these issues pose a constant challenge to societies, including their relationship to history, identity, and their environment. These challenges have forced museums to redefine their roles, including a growing focus on the visitor, and exploring new ways of enhancing the health and wellbeing of communities. In November 2013, the General Conference of UNESCO recognised the need for a new standard-setting instrument in the field of museums, to be elaborated in close collaboration with ICOM. This has given way to a draft Recommendation concerning the Protection and Promotion of Museums, their Diversity and their Role in Society. One of the aspects at the heart of this recommendation is the vision of museums as spaces that play an important role in education, social cohesion and sustainable development. The different possibilities for museums to exercise social responsibility can range from accessibility policies to the institution’s overall purpose. Exhibitions focusing on topical social issues can be developed in cooperation with the communities they address, while specific programmes can draw in the most disadvantaged populations who, due to financial reasons, physical difficulties or educational inequality, would not normally visit the museum. They can also provide a much-needed platform for reflection on human rights and gender equality within society. In the context of current social, political, economic, environmental and technological developments, this issue of Museum International will look at the ways in which museums can play a leading role in the development of social ties and cohesion, as well as challenging discrimination and other human rights abuses.

Submission process:
Abstracts of between 250 and 300 words, written in English, should be submitted for selection to publications@icom.museum Contributions will be on a voluntary basis.
The submission deadline is 31 August, 2015.
The following information should be included with the abstract: 
Title of submitted paper 
Name(s) of author(s) 
Professional background 
Keywords

Museum International is currently produced in English language only. For this reason, proposals in other languages unfortunately cannot be considered for publication.
Further information: For all queries on this Call for Papers and the submission process, please contact Aedín Mac Devitt at aedin.macdevitt@icom.museum GUIDELINES TO CONTRIBUTORS FORMAT OF THE SUBMITTED ABSTRACT

1. GENERAL Language Consistent use of English.
Length Maximum 300 words or 2,100 characters (spaces included). Submission Contributions should be submitted as an attachment to e-mail in MS Word (97-2003 or higher).

2. FORMAT OF SUBMITTED ABSTRACT Margins 2.5 cm or 0.98 in. left, right, top and bottom. Justification The text should be both left and right justified (aligned) throughout. Spacing Simple. Font Arial. Font size 9 pt. for the text proper but 10 pt. for title, subtitle and author’s name. Main Title (10 pt.) Centre the title on top using bold small capitals. If the title is in English capitalise the first letter of the main words. Subtitle (10 pt.) If there is a subtitle, add a colon to the title and centre the subtitle on the next line using bold lower case. Author’s name (10 pt.) Space twice and align left your name, using bold initial capitals only. Indentation Do not indent the first line of the abstract. Citations Do not include citations in the abstract. Quotations Do not include quotations in the abstract.

Example THE ARCHITECTURE OF BALTIMORE: An Exhibition in the Peale Museum, Baltimore Wilbur H. Hunter Jr. and Rich Borneman The abstract should be followed by a short biography of the author(s) of between 150-200 words, for which the same format as that described above applies. The short biography should include the following details: professional affiliation, exact title, current situation and research, past and forthcoming publications.

Finally, please indicate a contact email.