Rhiannon Mason is Professor of Heritage and Cultural Studies and Head of the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University, UK. Her teaching and research focuses on the role of heritage and memory institutions in mediating public understandings of people's histories, cultures and identities.

Alistair Robinson is Director of Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, having held positions at the Victoria & Albert Museum and National Museum of Photography Film & Television. He is undertaking research into museums of modern art collecting contemporary art.

Emma Coffield is an Early Career Academic Fellow in Media, Culture, Heritage (MCH), at Newcastle University, UK. She is currently the MA programme leader for Art Museum and Gallery Studies. Her research focuses on contemporary art history, production and display, and the spatial politics of artistic practice.

Introduction; 1. First principles; 2. Collecting and collections; 3.Display, interpretation, learning; 4. Economics: The Business of Culture; 5. Politics and Society: Power and authority; 6. Identity and Representation; 7. Continuing Controversies and Conflicts; 8. Current Debates and Future Prospects