ABSTRACT This thesis looks at British memory culture in (post)colonial times from the turn of the twenty-first century onwards. Up until that point the academic field was introduced to the...Show moreABSTRACT This thesis looks at British memory culture in (post)colonial times from the turn of the twenty-first century onwards. Up until that point the academic field was introduced to the development of new studies such as (post)colonial studies, subaltern studies and museum studies. Theories and critiques on memory culture developed as well and, on their part, were met with interest as well as critique. Not only did these critiques address the incompleteness of these memories, but also the celebratory qualities of these nationalistic memories. Reconsiderations did not only come from scholars, but also from subaltern communities and migrant minorities. Besides that, this time was marked by increasing protests against selective narratives, the heritage of Empire and the one-sided colonialist displays in museums. Protesters and critical scholars were looking for the representation of the subaltern stories of imperial times. They believe that their role in this history as well as in the (post)colonial present of today, is not addressed as it should be. Britain was one of the biggest colonising countries in the history and had an enormous Empire that covered almost a quarter of the global landmass and a little shy of a quarter of the world population on its absolute high-point. The influence Britain had on the world, as well as the other way round, as one can imagine, has been significant. Many British people refer to these facts with pride. Their culture and patriotic believes both rely heavily on the glorious past. Few people seem to think of slavery and discrimination when the British Empire is mentioned. In the case of the United Kingdom, it is especially interesting to compare and contrast different examples of museums and their endeavours to cope with (post)colonial realities of Britain’s imperial past and (post)colonial present. In a country with a profound love for their British heritage, a very traditional culture and a perpetuity of Empire in its current Commonwealth structure, the people and the institutions seem to struggle to ‘come to terms with’ the entire history of its imperial past and to acknowledge the existence of colonialism in today’s present. The museums that serve as exemplary cases for this research are the British Museum (London), the Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford), and the former British Empire and Commonwealth Museum (Bristol). These museums differ from each other in respect to their outreach, their environment and their status. Each of these museums, however, have been confronted with the challenge to adapt to contemporary composition of the British society and the changing social and political climate. In the end, this thesis will show that the attention for decolonisation has affected the museum sector in Britain. Museums are no longer self-evident and sacrosanct institutions . Some of them tend to bend towards finding solutions to fit in, and possibly survive, within the changing social and political climate. But, execution of the proposed measures and the willingness to make profound changes to their traditional institutions remain minor and moves towards a ‘new’ history pattern seem to hold off.Show less
