This text presents interpretations of museum history and practice through a range of case studies and by engaging with theoretical approaches to thinking about museums. Museums have faced increasing demands for a popular mode of address. Some commentators have aligned themselves with such demands, representing museums as "mausoleums" weighed down by the past and captive to the interests of elites. Others argue that contemporary museums have broken with the past to become open, democratic institutions. Andrea Witcomb rejects both positions, arguing that museums have a long history of engaging with popular culture and addressing a variety of audiences.