'Not a mere tangential outbreak': gender, feminism and cultural heritage

The aim of this essay is to provide an overview of recent contributions to the “gender and heritage” debate, focusing in particular on suggestions and recommendations about how to expand and further advance the gender agenda in the heritage field of research. The first section considers the arguments put forward in a series of articles that evaluate the level of knowledge and development achieved in the heritage field, exposing shortcomings and impediments. The second section takes a closer look at the dialogue between feminist theory and museum studies, arguing that feminist interventions in the museum sector, which have a long history dating back to the 1970s, are predicated on a fruitful intermingling of theoretical insights and practical strategies. The final part offers a synthesis of gender-aware proposals and methodological models elaborated, and in some cases tested, in the literature under review.