Los museos de La Raya y sus proyectos educativos: una herramienta de diplomacia cultural

Abstract

This research discusses four educational projects (“La Mujer en la Raya Hispano-Portuguesa”, “¿A Qué Jugamos?”, “Juego de Niños” y “Máscaras Ibéricas de la Raya”) proposed in museums of the Hispano-Portuguese border (La Raya) as tools of social cohesion linked to cultural actions abroad as one of the essential aspects of cultural diplomacy. These cases are chosen because they constitute educational museum projects based on cultural exchange and knowledge of both cultures on either side of the border. The chosen geographical delimitation is justified by the fact that this is a zone of cultural exchange between both countries, where the border is diluted in a close cultural relationship. The objective of this study is to highlight that museums are, currently, cultural institutions of encounter and dialogue and that the new perspectives in museological research propose museums that are increasingly open to the environment. The results show the importance of cultural diplomacy understood as an element within soft power from a local level with an international projection, relevant qualitative results that establish a common research framework between the work of museums in education in Spain and Portugal. Using a qualitative methodology of observation and reasoning, within a quarterly time limit, the main findings of this research reflect how educational projects on both sides of the border are rooted in the idea of transmitting a common cultural heritage, fostering dialogue and introducing the students to the so-called border culture.

Keywords

• educational project
• heritage education
• cultural diplomacy
• soft power – museum
• border culture – Portugal and Spain