Abstract:

The escalating ecological emergency unfolds at a time when multiple social pressures are weakening the role of science in public decision-making: deepening inequalities, the systematic spread of misinformation, threats to press freedom, and the resurgence of nationalist and militarised agendas. In this context, Science & Natural History Museums (SNHMs) cannot confine themselves to traditional functions of scientific mediation. Many institutions already acknowledge the need to strengthen their commitment to scientific and environmental literacy, as well as to broader socio-ecological responsibility. Yet the scale and urgency of the crisis demand a far more profound transformation. Still, worldwide, SNHMs continue to operate within technocratic paradigms and enduring colonial legacies that significantly curtail their capacity for social transformation. Embracing critical museology remains limited by institutional inertia and political pressures. Scholars and institutions advocate for integrated frameworks to guide museums in advancing socio-ecological justice but acknowledge that a fully unified roadmap is still missing to help them evolve into inclusive and critical institutions.

We aim to contribute by identifying the most needed changes in SNHMs´ curatorial and educational practices. We start by mapping key limits constraining the full embrace of critical museology practices, and we illustrate how SNHMs can act as unique intercultural research spaces that connect diverse knowledge holders while fostering collaborative dialogue and action-oriented transformative learning. We conducted a qualitative, systematic, and critical literature review spanning the past two decades, focusing on critical pedagogy, scientific literacy, environmental education, and museum education. The review covered conceptual frameworks, key debates, and international normative instruments, drawing on specialised journals in museum studies, science education, and sustainability.

Our findings show that reimagining the role of SNHMs depends on a consistent integration of critical, emancipatory approaches to science and environmental education within museum practices. Recent shifts in scientific literacy towards more political, transdisciplinary, and justice-oriented perspectives offer a strong foundation. However, major challenges remain: explicitly recognising the political, economic, cultural, and ethical dimensions that shape power dynamics within educational processes, and advancing towards genuine shared authority with communities in research, programme development, and exhibition design. SNHMs must transcend traditional roles and become agents of social and environmental justice. This entails promoting scientific and environmental literacies that address ethical and political tensions; integrating emotional, relational, and ethical dimensions into exhibitions; and fostering collaborative, situated, and civically engaged learning practices. Such transformation demands stronger alliances between research, education, and public policy, and requires accepting that complexity – and the resistance it provokes – is inherent to any meaningful transformative educational process.

Keywords:

Science & Natural History Museums, Critical scientific literacy, Critical museology, Transformative learning, Environmental & Sustainability education, Socio‑ecological justice, Critical pedagogy, Non-formal education.