With the ‘new museology’ in the 1990s, a paradigm shift took place, and more critical and reflexive museology emerged. Characteristic of this was an increased focus on the museum activities themselves, their conditions, practices and ideological consequences. This paper examines the effects that the new museology has had on Swedish museums, especially in the light of the era of post-truth that has led to a questioning of traditional authorities, including museums. What forms of ideal of knowledge, ambitions and reflexivity characterize museums of today? What does the new museology mean in relation to the era of post-truth?
The study is based on qualitative interviews with Swedish museum directors, and the findings show that they apply different forms of reflexivity to describe the museums’ activities (epistemological, ontological and critical reflexivity). The findings also illustrate that the reflexive museology is problematic in relation to the era of post-truth, because it can reinforce the tendencies that it claims to counteract.