The aim of this paper is to analyze the main social actors that had influenced the configuration of the organizational field of the museums of Santa Catarina between 1987 and 2006. For the analysis, we use the institutional perspective - which allowed us to observe the distinct degrees of structuration of the organizational field in the period; and we add a careful look to the positions occupied by the main actors who operate in it and the power resources they possess. Data were collected using half-structuralized interviews, participant observation and documents. The results allowed highlighting, among all actors, the performances of the State and the Center for Museums Studies of Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in the field. The State appeared as an important actor through three structures of domination: Santa Catarina Culture Foundation (FCC), the coalition of employees of its patrimonial direction and the Institute of National Artistic Heritage (Iphan). We conclude that the State distanced itself from the field during the analyzed period, contrasting to the presence of the Nemu, which appeared as the most excellent structure of domination of the field and responsible for important alterations in its configuration.
cultural policies; museums; institutional theory; power; organizational studies