Effective governance can mean the difference between a successful museum, that reaps the rewards of higher visitor numbers, unique partnerships and increased funding for example, to one that struggles to keep its doors open. Here Yasmin Khan speaks with consultant Stephen Feber, who has been providing creation and production services to the cultural sector for over 30 years, about what makes best practice for museum boards.

To ensure the benefit of the greater good when making tough decisions in museums, the only way is ethics. Yasmin Khan reports back from the London launch event of the Museums Association’s revised Code of Ethics. In much the same vein that doctors must abide by the Hippocratic Oath, museum professionals rely on a robust code of ethics to cover the full range of pressing issues and tough challenges faced by the sector.

More than 130 museum professionals crammed into the Imperial War Museum’s auditorium recently to discuss power, patriarchy and gender politics in the sector. The event, entitled Space Invaders: Women Museum Leaders, looked to kickstart a public debate about the lack of gender equality in museum leadership.

Archaeology has long been used as a weapon to advance political agendas. In a region with such a fascinating past, it is depressing how archaeological practice has become part and parcel of Israel’s continuing military strategy to attain additional Palestinian territory. Now a new exhibition in Dubai is exploring this pressing issue, by subverting it.

Coexistence and Conflict: Can Egypt’s Past Inform the Future? This was the title of a timely debate which was immaculately chaired by eagle-eyed Channel 4 News anchor, Jon Snow, to coincide with a landmark exhibition at the British Museum. The Egypt: faith after the pharaohs exhibition explores the impact of the three Abrahamic religions that have taken root in Egypt since the ancient period: from a world of many gods to the worship of one God.

Much like the future, it is often said that history is written by the winners. Chronological frontiers are in perpetual states of flux as newer “gatekeepers” of the history of science are increasingly accommodating more inclusive analyses, with a view to rewriting the future. Over the last decade, archaic narratives surrounding the Islamic medieval period have been re-nourished by a steady flurry of exhibitions, TV programmes and popular publications, to rekindle public awareness of the contribution to science and technology during the height of the Islamic civilisation.

Two important figures came head-to-head at Conway Hall, to discuss Islamic versus Humanist perspectives on science and the modern world. Jim Al-Khalili made the final public appearance of his term as president of the British Humanist Association during this stimulating, and at times provoking, debate with Ziauddin Sardar, chair of the Muslim Institute.

Can today's museums really be seen as beacons for upholding values such as social justice, inclusivity and wellbeing if their internal operations tell a different story? This was one of the central questions asked in my ongoing research into museums and gender. What I've found is that the reality of working in the sector does not always correlate with its projected vision, particularly when it comes to the sexes.

Plurality of cultural identity is the key to human progress. This was the essence of an inspirational keynote speech delivered by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen at the inaugural World Culture Forum in Bali, Indonesia. The World Culture Forum (WCF) was the first in a series of international forums to take place in the region with the aim of creating a permanent space to challenge established thinking and identify solutions for embedding culture as part of sustainable development.

‘Who would have imagined president Mohammed Morsi citing Planet of the Apes as influencing his vision of nation-building?”. asked BBC journalist Samira Ahmed, a panellist at a groundbreaking event in London last month, exploring the phenomenon of Arab science fiction. As an independent curator, producer and freelance writer with a science background, I appreciate the connections between art, the imagination and technology.

More than 850 delegates flocked to a seminal conference in London on Saturday about the compatibility of modern evolutionary theory and Islamic theology – despite scaremongering and the refusal of Islamic student societies to participate. Determined organisers had overcome pressure to cancel by changing the venue from Imperial College to Logan Hall at the University of London.

If our museums were a Dickensian character, who would they be: Miss Havisham stuck in an old wedding dress in a room gathering cobwebs; or Fagin the entrepreneur, sending urchins out to spread his influence across the city? The second option was favoured by speaker Ross Parry at a recent Question Time style debate at the Science Museum in London – Museums in the information age: evolution or extinction?