Den fænomenologiske metode i museologisk forskning

The Phenomenological Method in Museological Research The phenomenological method is closely associated with the study of human consciousness. In museum studies the phenomenological approach is essential for gaining an understanding of why museum collections are established and how they may influence the museum audience. This article introduces the structure of human consciousness and the principles of the phenomenological method. The various stages of the phenomenological approach are put forward starting from an experiment carried out at the Art Museum in Esbjerg concerning how people are influenced by different kinds of introduction to art. Introspection and retrospection are first laid out as phenomenological strategies for observing what is going on within consciousness. Some of the major difficulties in studying the living stream of consciousness or an experience as it is later recalled in consciousness, are discussed. The following interview is defined as an explorative approach to a specific phenomenon. It is presented as a dialogue meant to inspire a person to describe the experience he or she has had and to make it possible for the researcher to grasp this experience through empathy. The aim of the final phenomenological description is to define the basic characteristics of the phenomenon in question. Epoché or phenomenological reduction is used in this context as a strategy for describing the phenomenon as it appears in consciousness, and the eidetic variation as a strategy for identifying the fundamental characteristics of the same phenomenon. Finally, the phenomenological description provides a basis for evaluating the influence of a specific phenomenon on human existence.