Books by Historical Dialogue
Museums Memory and Identity Politics in Sri Lanka, 2020
Museums play a key role in shaping civic identities across generations. They act as ‘authentic’, ... more Museums play a key role in shaping civic identities across generations. They act as ‘authentic’, ‘authoritative’, ‘consensual’ or ‘accepted’ narration of a society’s historic trajectory and identity for its own people as well as for the outsiders. In the aftermath of war in Sri Lanka, the dialogue on memory, transitional justice and reconciliation highlights museums as important sites of conscience and engagement. The publication draws from a study on museums in Sri Lanka from April 2017 – July 2017, covering an analysis of 25 museums and their relevance to the current discourse on memory and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. The purpose of the study is to arrive at an evidence based understanding of how museums in Sri Lanka deal with memory and identity politics. The study presents 3 in depth case studies from an array of museums such as national, regional, military and religious museums. The study scrutinizes how museums represent different communities and their histories, with special attention given to how they include marginalized and war affected communities. In addition, it discusses the current museum administration and its implications, vis-à-vis the reconciliation agenda pursued by the current government. The educational and pedagogical aspects of museums and their immediate potential to contribute to reconciliation will be highlighted through the case examples. The publication contextualizes the trajectory and evolution of museums in Sri Lanka over the last century and analyse how this has contributed to the formation of identities based on ethnic and religious lines.
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Museums Memory and Identity Politics in Sri Lanka, 2020
Museums play a key role in shaping civic identities across generations. They act as ‘authentic’, ... more Museums play a key role in shaping civic identities across generations. They act as ‘authentic’, ‘authoritative’, ‘consensual’ or ‘accepted’ narration of a society’s historic trajectory and identity for its own people as well as for the outsiders. In the aftermath of war in Sri Lanka, the dialogue on memory, transitional justice and reconciliation highlights museums as important sites of conscience and engagement. The publication draws from a study on museums in Sri Lanka from April 2017 – July 2017, covering an analysis of 25 museums and their relevance to the current discourse on memory and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. The purpose of the study is to arrive at an evidence based understanding of how museums in Sri Lanka deal with memory and identity politics. The study presents 3 in depth case studies from an array of museums such as national, regional, military and religious museums. The study scrutinizes how museums represent different communities and their histories, with special attention given to how they include marginalized and war affected communities. In addition, it discusses the current museum administration and its implications, vis-à-vis the reconciliation agenda pursued by the current government. The educational and pedagogical aspects of museums and their immediate potential to contribute to reconciliation will be highlighted through the case examples. The publication contextualizes the trajectory and evolution of museums in Sri Lanka over the last century and analyse how this has contributed to the formation of identities based on ethnic and religious lines.
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Books by Historical Dialogue