SOMUS and the ICOM Regional Alliances invite conference participants to join an interactive and participatory workshop designed to foster collective reflection on how museums connect with communities today—from critical, diverse, and committed perspectives.

Inspired by the ICOM museum definition, which calls for community participation in all aspects of museum work, and by this year’s International Museum Day theme, “The Future of Museums in Constantly Changing Communities,” the session will introduce the foundations of Social Museology as a framework for inclusive and transformative practice.

From this shared foundation, participants will engage in roundtable discussions to exchange experiences, explore how museums around the world collaborate with communities, and question established notions of what “community” means. The conversation will go beyond so-called “community museums,” inviting all institutions to consider how they work for, with, and by communities to strengthen participation, democratization, and social transformation—always grounded in a deep commitment to human rights and social justice.