The Return of Curiosity: What Museums Are Good for in the 21st Century

"Over the last twenty years museums have proliferated, attracting new audiences and assuming new prominence in public life. Nicholas Thomas argues that what is special about museums are their collections, which are not just rich resources for reflection, but creative technologies that enable people to make new things in the present. Reflecting on art, science, history, and world cultures museums around the world, Thomas shows that in times marked by insecurity and increasing conflict, museums can help to sustain and enrich civil society. They stimulate a curiosity that is vital to understanding and negotiating the cosmopolitan but dangerous world we all now inhabit."--Back cover.