In Between the Cracks: research functions of the UK national cultural organisations
This thesis advances our knowledge of research functions in the UK
national cultural organisations in the second half of the 20th and the first
decades of the 21st century. Based on archival research and interviews with
professionals in the UK national cultural organisations and relevant
governmental bodies, the thesis explores the current state of research and
how research functions in the UK national cultural organisations relate to the
UK cultural and science policy. The thesis also considers the nature of
institutional relationships with the UK government, especially in relation to the
governmental fragmentation related to different functions of the UK national
cultural organisations. The thesis considers the effect of this fragmentation on
institutional research functions.
Using three case studies, from the British Museum, the British Library
and the Natural History Museum, the thesis looks at the changes in research
functions in the context of institutional changes in the second part of the 20th
century, with a series of critical junctures identified during the 1990s. At this
time, the changes in funding, policy, and organisational priorities, led to a
change from traditional curatorial research models towards more projectbased, shorter term, externally funded research models. The case studies
explore the role of institutional governance in relation to institutional research
functions and investigate the changing understanding of research in the UK
national cultural organisations.
The thesis creates a new framework for this neglected area of research,
showing the importance of connecting our understanding of research functions
in the UK national cultural organisations with government policy and the
context of broader institutional changes, thus opening new directions for future
research and policy development.