Museums as Ritual Sites: Between Theory and Practice

This year the volume Museums as Ritual Sites. Civilizing Rituals Reconsidered (Routledge 2025) was published. It critically celebrates the influential work done by Carol Duncan in Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums (Routledge 1995). This pre-conference workshop builds on the success of the new volume and invites participants to explore the ritual potential of contemporary museums together. By considering the complex intersections of religion, diversity and inclusion, consumption, and tradition, participants will explore in situ how museums function as liminal zones in and of themselves, as well as within the broader societal context beyond museum walls. The aim of the workshop is to reinforce the importance of the connection between theory and practice in the study of religion in public spaces like museums. The workshop also offers the opportunity for scholars of all levels to engage with museum professionals and their views on religion and ritual in their professional practice.