Foreign Relations History

Foreign Relations History

 Review and Evaluation of Iran's Performance in the International Council of Museums (ICOM) (1949-1978)

Document Type : Scientific - research article

Author
Assistant Professor at Historical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies
Abstract
International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organization that is involved in relation to museums and their professional agents, aiming to promote the advantages and cultural-social benefits of museums, defining professional and ethical standards in this field, creating a suitable platform for the exploitation of relevant knowledge, and introducing cultural heritage, and holding the International Museum Day. As a subsidiary of UNESCO, this council continues to operate for 77 years with 45,493 professional members in more than 129 countries, 34 international committees, 120 national committees, and 8 regional unions. According to the available documents, in 1949, in order to improve and develop the museums of the country, establish interaction with International museums, and train the experts, the National Commission of UNESCO in Iran established the National Committee of Iranian Museums and this committee was accepted as a member of ICOM in 1971. ICOM's activity continued in Iran until 1978 after the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution due to non-payment of membership fees, it remained stagnant for 20 years and since reorganized from 1998. Considering the official definition of museums as a non-profit and universal institution for the protection, interpretation, and presentation of tangible and intangible heritage and the importance of ICOM in promoting this, the present research, by examining the available documents while briefly reviewing the background of the ICOM, rereads Iran's performance in ICOM and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses during the years 1949-1978.

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Supplementary File

  • Receive Date 14 October 2023
  • Revise Date 17 November 2023
  • Accept Date 08 January 2024