Key Framing Concepts

Concepts are important tools for researching sociological phenomena. They can show connections, relationships and meaning between different objects of study, revealing trends and patterns that are not immediately apparent. They can also help to structure analyses and communicate their findings. The current chapter introduces and explores eight concepts that have helped frame this study on the Imperial War Museum during the Second World War era and interpret its findings. These framing concepts are ‘institutions’, ‘organisations’ and ‘museums’; ‘legitimacy’; ‘crisis’ and ‘crisis management’; ‘resilience’; and ‘reinvention’. Through doing so, the chapter profiles the philosophy, assumptions and positionalities underlying the study and the predominant lenses applied against the case.