Museum of Doubt
A modest manifesto by a science curator
Published on 5. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
96 pages
978-90-209-9265-6 (ISBN)
Description
"This is a place where different voices and ideas meet, inspiring visitors through the unexpected plurality of meanings and interactions presented in the different themes and the way they are displayed. Instead of proclaiming one truth, the museum invites and embraces a multitude of perspectives, allowing a dynamic discourse in narratives dealing with very topical issues." - Jury EMYA (European Museum of the Year), special commendation 2022
In a world longing for certainty and clear-cut answers, the Museum of Doubt makes a powerful case for doubt, vulnerability, and complexity as driving forces of both science and citizenship. Professor Marjan Doom, director of the Ghent University Museum (GUM) & its neighbouring botanical garden, invites readers to reflect on the role of science museums today. Drawing on personal experience and curatorial case studies, she reveals how art and science enrich one another, how doubt is not a weakness but a necessity, and how museums can bridge the gap between science and society. A sharp and compelling ode to critical thinking.
In a world longing for certainty and clear-cut answers, the Museum of Doubt makes a powerful case for doubt, vulnerability, and complexity as driving forces of both science and citizenship. Professor Marjan Doom, director of the Ghent University Museum (GUM) & its neighbouring botanical garden, invites readers to reflect on the role of science museums today. Drawing on personal experience and curatorial case studies, she reveals how art and science enrich one another, how doubt is not a weakness but a necessity, and how museums can bridge the gap between science and society. A sharp and compelling ode to critical thinking.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Tielt
Belgium
Dimensions
Height: 177 mm
Width: 117 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
98 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-209-9265-6 (9789020992656)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Book
10/2020
Lannoo Publishers
€12.50
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
As a veterinarian at Ghent University, Prof. Dr. Marjan Doom conducted research into animal anatomy, with a specific focus on the vascular system. As director of the Ghent University Museum and its neighbouring Botanical Garden, she explores the intersections of science, art, and society. Her work highlights doubt, imagination, and critical thinking as essential to science, art and citizenship. She is a public speaker (TEDx), a board member at Musea Brugge and Forum Wissen (University Museum of Goettingen), and a member of the faculty in the Culture & Education research group at Ghent University.