The museum as a social performance

This book investigates the architectural and organisational transformations that Dutch museums have gone through since 1990. In order to ensure that this is done from the viewpoint of the museum visitor, a theoretical framework is used in which architectural interventions, organisational changes and audience experiences are combined. The museum is seen as a social performance; a concept and theory introduced by the American cultural sociologist Jeffrey Alexander.8 This contribution will explain how museums can be researched as social performances and how this theoretical framework will return in the case studies.