Publicação
Sustainability and Culture: How international museums and Portuguese municipalities respond to the United Nations 2030 Agenda
| Resumo: | In 2015, the United Nations launched its Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, outlining 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at achieving peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Despite the Agenda’s transformative ambitions, one critical dimension remains largely underrepresented: culture. Cultural institutions, particularly museums, are scarcely mentioned in the Agenda, yet they play an essential role as mediators and agents of change within their communities. This thesis investigates how international museums, and Portuguese municipal cultural departments engage with the SDGs and contribute to sustainable development. It also evaluates whether the 2030 Agenda serves as an effective operational tool in these contexts, that is, how its theoretical framework translates into concrete actions within museological institutions and Portuguese local governance structures. The study is structured in three main parts. First, it establishes a theoretical foundation situating culture and museums within global development discourse, highlighting conceptual and policy gaps in the 2030 Agenda. Second, it outlines the mixed-methods approach, combining preliminary case studies with a large N-Study. Third, it presents findings from empirical research involving 588 museological institutions and 731 cultural professionals across the globe; alongside a focused analysis of 104 municipal cultural departments in Portugal and their relationship with the local museum sector. Results demonstrate that international museological institutions and Portuguese municipal cultural departments have the potential to play a meaningful role in the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda, particularly in relation to Quality education (SDG 4), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). However, the degree of mobilisation around these SDGs remains uneven and, in many contexts, underwhelming. The Agenda, as currently framed and implemented, may not fully recognise or activate the cultural and community based dynamics that are essential for its realisation. Significantly, SDG 11 emerges not only as an infrastructural goal aimed for sustainable urban development, but also as a cultural and spatial interface: a lived space where all other SDGs intersect and materialise. As such, cities and communities are proposed as territorial ecosystems essential to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This methodology is replicable across regions, timeframes, and institutional types. Understanding these dynamics can support stakeholders in aligning cultural policy with institutional mission while advancing broader sustainable development goals. |
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| Autores principais: | Listopad, Francisca Simões Synek |
| Assunto: | 2030 Agenda Sustainability Museums Culture Portuguese municipalities Place Sustentabilidade Museus Cultura Municípios portugueses Lugar |
| Ano: | 2026 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | tese de doutoramento |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | In 2015, the United Nations launched its Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, outlining 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at achieving peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Despite the Agenda’s transformative ambitions, one critical dimension remains largely underrepresented: culture. Cultural institutions, particularly museums, are scarcely mentioned in the Agenda, yet they play an essential role as mediators and agents of change within their communities. This thesis investigates how international museums, and Portuguese municipal cultural departments engage with the SDGs and contribute to sustainable development. It also evaluates whether the 2030 Agenda serves as an effective operational tool in these contexts, that is, how its theoretical framework translates into concrete actions within museological institutions and Portuguese local governance structures. The study is structured in three main parts. First, it establishes a theoretical foundation situating culture and museums within global development discourse, highlighting conceptual and policy gaps in the 2030 Agenda. Second, it outlines the mixed-methods approach, combining preliminary case studies with a large N-Study. Third, it presents findings from empirical research involving 588 museological institutions and 731 cultural professionals across the globe; alongside a focused analysis of 104 municipal cultural departments in Portugal and their relationship with the local museum sector. Results demonstrate that international museological institutions and Portuguese municipal cultural departments have the potential to play a meaningful role in the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda, particularly in relation to Quality education (SDG 4), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). However, the degree of mobilisation around these SDGs remains uneven and, in many contexts, underwhelming. The Agenda, as currently framed and implemented, may not fully recognise or activate the cultural and community based dynamics that are essential for its realisation. Significantly, SDG 11 emerges not only as an infrastructural goal aimed for sustainable urban development, but also as a cultural and spatial interface: a lived space where all other SDGs intersect and materialise. As such, cities and communities are proposed as territorial ecosystems essential to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This methodology is replicable across regions, timeframes, and institutional types. Understanding these dynamics can support stakeholders in aligning cultural policy with institutional mission while advancing broader sustainable development goals. |
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