The Role of Museums in Dealing with the Legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland
Résumé
The function of museums as a medium to represent collective heritage is all the more critical in the case of conflicted heritage. The years since the Belfast Agreement in 1998, with their focus on community relations and the ever-present debate about how to deal with the past, have proved a challenge for museums in Northern Ireland. The country's young museum sector has had not only to adapt to the wider redefinition of museums' purpose and mission that has reshaped the museum world in the last thirty years, but also to promote better mutual understanding in a post-conflict society where divisions remain rife. This article will explore the role given to and taken by museums in addressing the legacy of the recent conflict. It will provide a general description of how the role of museums has been reshaped and, more specifically, has been translated into policy and practice in Northern Ireland. The comparison between several museums and exhibitions from the national, local and independent sectors will present different practices in terms of chosen narrative, displaying and relation with visitors, thereby providing the basis for a reflection on the question of curatorial control when dealing with conflict.
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