Right-Wing Populism and Museums: Findings from an Interview Study in the UK, Poland and Germany

Abstract

This paper contributes to the growing research on right-wing populism’s increasing impact on cultural and heritage institutions, presenting findings from an interview study with museum professionals in Poland, Germany, and the UK. Our comparative analysis highlights the multifarious ways populist politics affect museum work, including potentially violent interventions that target museum staff and more diffuse forms of influence on museums that are not under direct political pressure. In anticipation of negative consequences, museum staff may avoid issues that they anticipate will lead to public hostility or political interference, modifying curatorial practice and effectively self-censoring. These findings underscore the complex power dynamics museums navigate in a political climate marked by the resurgence of right-wing populism and attempts to instrumentalize cultural heritage and institutional life for political purposes.