Table of Contents

List of Figures; List of Tables; List of Abbreviations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Chapter 1: From Empathy to Solidarity; Chapter 2: Physical Experiences – Building Memories and Empathy; Chapter 3: Inspiring Action; Chapter 4: Welcome, Inclusion, and Sharing Authority; Conclusion

About the Author

Elena Gonzales is an independent scholar focusing on curatorial work for social justice and the roles of museums in society. She received her doctorate in American Studies at Brown University in 2015 and her Master’s in Public Humanities from Brown in 2010. She has curated exhibitions since 2006 and has taught curatorial studies since 2010, becoming a 2012 Ford Dissertation Fellow and a visiting scholar in American Studies at Northwestern University from 2011–2015. She is co-chair of the exhibitions committee at the Evanston Art Center and co-editor of Museums and Civic Discourse: History, Current Practice, and Future Prospects, a digital public humanities project.

Reviews

"This is one of the finest works published in the field of museum studies in recent years. In this exhaustively researched book, Elena Gonzales maps out the current state of museum practice as it relates to the work of social justice. This book needs to be in the hands of scholars and practioners alike as they seek to transform museums and inspire social change in the 21st century." – Amy Lonetree, University of California Santa Cruz, USA

"This is one of the finest works published in the field of museum studies in recent years. In this exhaustively researched book, Elena Gonzales maps out the current state of museum practice as it relates to the work of social justice. This book needs to be in the hands of scholars and practitioners alike as they seek to transform museums and inspire social change in the 21st century." – Amy Lonetree, University of California Santa Cruz, USA"Elena Gonzales’s Exhibitions for Social Justice is a valuable handbook on museums that mount exhibitions explicitly engaged with social justice. Not intending to rationalize the need for this kind of work, Gonzales instead seeks to provide support and evidence-based examples for people working in this field. By drawing a bit on neuroscience, Gonzales focuses on how best to engage viewers; what leaves the most lasting impression with them; and how that can lead to an array of impact and actions over time" - Sarah J. Seidman, Curator of Social Activism, Museum of the City of New York