Bodil Axelsson
Department for the Study of Social Change and Culture, Linköping University
Christine Dupont
House of European History, European Parliament, Belgium
Chantal Kesteloot
Centre for Historical Research and Documentation
on War and Contemporary Society, Brussels, Belgium
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Published in: Entering the Minefields: The Creation of New History Museums in Europe: Conference Proceedings from EuNaMus; European National Museums: Identity Politics; the Uses of the Past; and the European Citizen; Brussels 25 January 2012
Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 83:1, p. 1-14
Published: 2013-02-11
ISBN:
ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)
This introduction provides the background for the conference “National Museums: Making Communities and Negotiating Conflicts”; also including the panel which has lent its title to these proceedings: “Entering the Minefields – the Creation of New History Museums in Europe”. It directs the attention to the balancing acts involved not only when new history museums are proposed by governmental bodies; but also when research is asked to feed into policy making. It turns out that new history museums and critical research respond in similar ways to pressures from governments and funders. Among the responses are transnational professional networking; the promotion of dialogues; and the sharing and accepting of a plurality of legitimate standpoints and identities. The emerging of competing memories and the lack of trust in great national narratives is then connected to Pierre Nora’s writings and critical works on the role of the lieux de memoire and national identity.
Concerning the first minefield discussed in these proceedings – research for policy making – the introduction points to the complexities of the contemporary landscape of policy making. Including policy settings at both national and European levels and a variety of professional communities; the interaction of different agendas brings to the fore professional norms and standards. In this context; research can no longer be justified with the self-evident worth in its practices and outcomes. Instead; it aims at ventilating questions identified by political bodies in a way that is understandable to this very particular audience and additional audiences – and at the same time keeping the professional ethics intact.
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