Reframing Women's Representation in Museum Exhibitions through a Feminist Museum Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52152/heranca.v9i3/1247Keywords:
Gender Equality, Gender Inequality, Feminist Museum, Exhibition, Representation.Abstract
A feminist museum perspective aims to challenge the exhibition structures that have long been shaped by dominant viewpoints. In the context of gender, museum displays become a site of contestation between deeply rooted patriarchal perspectives and feminist approaches that aim to create more equitable representation of both men and women. Museums in Indonesia, such as the Jakarta History Museum, Sri Baduga Museum, Museum Keris Nusantara, and Mpu Tantular Museum, are increasingly expected to respond to contemporary demands for social justice, including gender equality. However, observations indicated that the exhibitions in these museums still fall short of providing proportional representation of women. This study identified key forms of gender inequality present in current practices, beginning with the absence of gender-sensitive commitments within institutional visions, missions, and curatorial frameworks. These gaps subsequently shape exhibition storylines that privilege material and masculine narratives. Imbalances also appear in the dominance of male-associated objects and the neglect of women-related content in collections, visual materials, and interpretive texts. To address these issues, several feminist museum strategies are proposed, such as integrating gender equality into institutional foundations, designing exhibitions that foreground socio-historical and socio-cultural contexts, and increasing women’s visibility as a corrective measure to historical marginalisation. Presenting sensitive content through dialogic interpretation is also encouraged to foster visitor reflection on past and present social conditions. This study contributes to ongoing efforts to strengthen museums’ roles as agents of social change in advancing gender equality.
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