(Re)Visualizing National History: Museums and National Identities in Europe in the New Millennium (German and European Studies)

__(Re)Visualizing National History__ is a unique and interdisciplinary volume that offers insights on the dilemmas of present-day European culture, manifestations of nationalism in Europe, and the debates surrounding museums as sites for the representation of politics and history.

Ideas regarding the role of the museum have become increasingly contentious. In the last fifteen years, scholars have pointed to ways in which states (especially imperialist states) use museums to showcase looted artefacts, to document their geographic expansion, to present themselves as the guardians of national treasure, and to educate citizens and subjects. At the same time, a great deal of attention has been paid to reshaping national histories and values in the wake of the collapse of the Communist bloc and the emergence of the European Union. (Re)Visualizing National History considers the wave of monument and museum building in Europe as part of an attempt to forge consensus in politically unified but deeply divided nations.

This collection explores ways in which museums exhibit emerging national values and how the establishment of these new museums (and new exhibits in older museums) reflects the search for a consensus among different generational groups in Europe and North America. The contributors come from a variety of countries and academic backgrounds, and speak from such varied perspectives as cultural studies, history, anthropology, sociology, and museum studies. (Re)Visualizing National History is a unique and interdisciplinary volume that offers insights on the dilemmas of present-day European culture, manifestations of nationalism in Europe, and the debates surrounding museums as sites for the representation of politics and history.

Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: Museums and National Identities in Europe in the Twenty-First Century 11 Part One. The Twenty-First Century: New Exhibits and New Partnerships 25 1. Exhibition as Film 25 Part Two. Reconfiguring National History: Centralized and Local Strategies 57 2. The Terror of the House 57 3. Putting Contested History on Display: The Uses of the Past in Northern Ireland 100 Part Three. Restoring National History with International Participation 119 4. Museums, Multiculturalism, and the Remaking of Postwar Sarajevo 119 5. Building a Jewish Museum in Germany in the Twenty-First Century 149 6. Remusealizing Jewish History in Warsaw: The Privatization and Externalization of Nation Building 167 Part Four. Displaying War, Genocide, and the Nation: From Ottawa to Berlin, 2005 193 7. Constructing the Canadian War Museum/Constructing the Landscape of a Canadian Identity 193 8. Peter Eisenman’s Design for Berlin’s Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe: A Juror’s Report in Three Parts 210 Contributors 225 Index 229 "(Re) Visualizing National History considers the wave of monument and museum building in Europe as part of an attempt to forge consensus in politically unified but deeply divided nations. This collection explores ways in which museums exhibit emerging national values and how the establishment of these new museums (and new exhibits in older museums) reflects the search for a consensus among different generational groups in Europe and North America. The contributors come from a variety of countries and academic backgrounds, and speak from such varied perspectives as cultural studies, history, anthropology, sociology, and museum studies. (Re)Visualizing National History is an interdisciplinary volume that offers insights on the dilemmas of present-day European culture, manifestations of nationalism in Europe, and the debates surrounding museums as sites for the representation of politics and history."--Jacket