Memorial Museums: The Global Rush to Commemorate Atrocities

by Paul D. Williams

The past 25 years has seen an extraordinary boom in a new kind of cultural the memorial museum. These seek to research, represent, commemorate and teach on the subject of dreadful, violent histories. With World War and Holocaust memorials as precursors, the kinds of events now recognized include genocide in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda and the Balkans, state repression in Eastern Europe, apartheid in South Africa, terrorism in the United States, political "disappearances" in Chile and Argentina, massacres in China and Taiwan, and more.

This book is the first of its kind to "map" these new institutions and cultural spaces, which, although varying widely in size, style and political situation, are nonetheless united in their desire to promote peace, tolerance and the avoidance of future violence. Moving across nations and contexts, Memorial Museums critically analyzes the tactics of these institutions and gauges their wider public significance.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Museums

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

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Reviews

[Jenny.p · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters are definitely stronger than others--I actually find the introduction to be one of the most valuable parts of the book. Definitely a great resource for thinking about the topic of on a global perspective (beyond just the Holocaust), although some of the information is now outdated. Leans to the questioning/stream of conscious side, rather than strong scholarship.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't figure out what the thesis of this book was. It had some interesting memorial museum examples.