Curating America's Painful Past: Memory, Museums, and the National Imagination (CultureAmerica)

During the global Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, many called upon the United States to finally face its painful past. Tim Gruenewald's new book is an in-depth investigation of how that past is currently remembered at the national museums in Washington, DC. Curating America's Painful Past reveals how the tragic past is either minimized or framed in a way that does not threaten dominant national ideologies. Gruenewald analyzes the National Museum of American History (NMAH), the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), and the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The NMAH, the nation's most popular history museum, serves as the benchmark for the imagination of US history and identity. The USHMM opened in 1993 as the United States' official Holocaust memorial and stands adjacent to the National Mall. Gruenewald makes a persuasive case that the USHMM established a successful blueprint for narrating horrific and traumatic histories. Curating America's Painful Past contrasts these two museums to ask why America's painful memories were largely absent from the memorial landscape of the National Mall and argues that social injustices in the present cannot be addressed until the nation's painful past is fully acknowledged and remembered. It was only with the opening of the NMAAHC in 2016 that a detailed account of atrocities committed against African Americans appeared on the National Mall. Gruenewald focuses on the museum's narrative structure in the context of national discourse to provide a critical reading of the museum. When the NMAI opened in 2004, it presented for the first time a detailed history from a Native American perspective that sought to undo conventional museum narratives. However, criticism led to more traditional exhibitions and national focus. Nevertheless, the museum still marginalizes memories of the vast numbers of Indigenous victims to European colonization and to US expansion. In a final chapter, Gruenewald offers a thought experiment, imagining a memory site like the recently opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice (Montgomery, Alabama) situated on the National Mall so the reader can assess how profound an effect projects of national memory can have on facing the past as a matter of present justice. During the global BlackLivesMatter protests of 2020, many calledupon the United States to finally face its painful past. TimGruenewald's new book is an in-depth investigation of how that pastis currently remembered at the national museums in Washington, DC.Curating America's Painful Past reveals how the tragicpast is either minimized or framed in a way that does not threatendominant national ideologies. Gruenewald analyzes the NationalMuseum of American History (NMAH), the United States HolocaustMemorial Museum (USHMM), the National Museum of African AmericanHistory and Culture (NMAAHC), and the National Museum of theAmerican Indian (NMAI). The NMAH, the nation's most popular historymuseum, serves as the benchmark for the imagination of US historyand identity. The USHMM opened in 1993 as the United States'official Holocaust memorial and stands adjacent to the NationalMall. Gruenewald makes a persuasive case that the USHMM establisheda successful blueprint for narrating horrific and traumatichistories. Curating America's Painful Past contrasts thesetwo museums to ask why America's painful memories were largelyabsent from the memorial landscape of the National Mall and arguesthat social injustices in the present cannot be addressed until thenation's painful past is fully acknowledged and remembered. It wasonly with the opening of the NMAAHC in 2016 that a detailed accountof atrocities committed against African Americans appeared on theNational Mall. Gruenewald focuses on the museum's narrativestructure in the context of national discourse to provide acritical reading of the museum. When the NMAI opened in 2004, itpresented for the first time a detailed history from a NativeAmerican perspective that sought to undo conventional museumnarratives. However, criticism led to more traditional exhibitionsand national focus. Nevertheless, the museum still marginalizesmemories of the vast numbers of Indigenous victims to Europeancolonization and to US expansion. In a final chapter, Gruenewaldoffers a thought experiment, imagining a memory site like therecently opened National Memorial for Peace and Justice(Montgomery, Alabama) situated on the National Mall so the readercan assess how profound an effect projects of national memory canhave on facing the past as a matter of present justice "This book argues that acknowledgment of painful pasts at the geographic and ideological center of American national identity is crucial for addressing inequities in the present. The study analyzes four major museums on the National Mall that are dedicated to traumatic histories: the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. Paying close attention to museum narratives and visual displays, Gruenewald explains how even some of the most harrowing and disturbing aspects of America's history have been and are still framed to support core American ideologies"-- Provided by publisher Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction. The National Mall and Memory of Painful Past 1. Framing Painful Past for the Nation: The Smithsonian Museum of American History 2. American Liberation, Part I: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 3. American Liberation, Part II: The National Museum of African American History and Culture 4. Remembering and Forgetting Genocide: The National Museum of the American Indian Conclusion. Looking Back, Moving Forward Notes References Index Back Cover