Words Mean Things: How Museum Workers’ Discursive Practices Position the Diverse Communities They Seek to Engage

Abstract

How do museum workers, particularly those in science and technology centers and museums, conceptualize racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity? What might the language they use (e.g. “low-income,” “non-English speaking families”) to describe racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse communities reveal about how museum workers position persons and groups from these communities? In this paper, we present our preliminary findings from an interview study with science museum workers regarding their beliefs about diversity. In doing so, we offer insights about the racialized narratives embedded in discourses about diversity and diverse communities and discuss the potential implications of their use for learning.