Cultural Policies and Museum Development: A Case Study of Taiwan
Chi-Jung Chu
Abstract
This paper employs a macro-oriented policy research method to investigate how various cultural policies of the central government have influenced museum development in Taiwan over time. Museum development projects have been shaped by broad political, social and economic contexts, leading to multi-faceted museum development in Taiwan. In this paper, it is argued that museum development projects initiated in the late 1970s under the 12 Major Construction Projects can be considered “culture for culture’s sake”. Later museum develop- ment projects were mostly developed in response to broader policy issues such as community empowerment projects and the government’s promotion of cultural and creative industries, resulting in the establishment of too many museums and the loss of the core functions of museums. In addition, political ideologies have persisted among Taiwan’s leading museums, such as the National Palace Museum, even with changes in ruling political parties. In this paper, there is also a discussion of the need to amend Euro-American approaches when applying them to museum development in Taiwan, as the government-led museum develop- ment in Taiwan since the Japanese colonial period is in stark contrast to the diverse origins of museums in Europe. Moreover, this government-led museum development has shaped museums in Taiwan into educational institutions rather than venues for the upper class to accumulate cultural capital.
Keywords: museums, governments, cultural policies
