ICOM's proposed museum definition faces backlash from national branches ahead of Kyoto vote

The International Committee of Museums (ICOM) announced in July 2019 a vote on a new museum definition, scheduled for its 25th General Conference in Kyoto from September 1–7, 2019, arguing the current one fails to reflect 21st-century complexities. A proposed definition describes museums as democratising, inclusive, polyphonic spaces for critical dialogue, holding artefacts in trust for society and aiming to contribute to human dignity, social justice, and planetary wellbeing. However, 24 national branches, including those from Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, have requested a postponement and plan to submit a counter proposal. Critics, including Professor François Mairesse of Université Sorbonne Nouvelle and chair of the International Committee of Museology, who resigned from ICOM this summer, argue the definition is overly complicated, a statement of fashionable values, and ignores the variety of museums, potentially weakening the organisation if imposed. The backlash centres on claims that the definition should emphasise museums' functions and relationship to tangible and intangible heritage, rather than imposing a single type, with Mairesse noting it would be hard for institutions like the Louvre to correspond to it as 'polyphonic spaces'.