What defines a participatory museum? What is truly new about this concept? And how does such an orientation in museum work impact the institution itself? The interdisciplinary contributions presented in this volume provide a comprehensive overview of how and why cultural-historical exhibitions become social spaces and what individual and societal added value participatory museum work offers. Numerous practical examples illustrate concrete applications and reflect on the consequences of a contemporary and participatory approach for the museum's self-understanding and the execution of its traditional tasks.