Museums as Catalysts for Socio-Ecological Transition

<p>In the context of accelerating ecological degradation, democratic erosion, and increasing social inequalities, culture is increasingly recognized as a central domain of systemic transformation rather than a peripheral or symbolic sphere. This article investigates the roles of cultural institutions and cultural activism as active agents in democratic renewal and socio-ecological regeneration. Drawing on Umberto Eco’s theory of the open work, the article conceptualizes museums and cultural assemblies as dialogic spaces where meaning is co-produced through interpretive participation. This semiotic perspective is linked to deliberative democracy, particularly the distinction between institutionalized citizens’ assemblies and grassroots popular assemblies, as well as to regenerative politics, which emphasizes the continual renewal of social, political, and ecological systems through participatory practices. Empirically, the article investigates cultural activism through the case of Culture Declares Emergency (CDE). These assemblies function as social and epistemic commons, enabling cultural workers to articulate emotional, ethical, and political concerns and to translate collective deliberation into context-specific commitments. A cultural assembly convened during the Eighteenth International Conference on the Inclusive Museum is analyzed as a prefigurative case that illustrates these dynamics. The study adopts a situated and reflexive approach, treating the case as illustrative rather than generalizable. The article contends that embedding commons-based and deliberative practices within cultural institutions enables culture to serve as a regenerative infrastructure for democratic renewal and socio-ecological transition.</p>