Post-Apartheid South Africa is in a transitional justice period. Transitional justice refers to a period where judicial and non-judicial reformation steps are taken after massive human rights...Show morePost-Apartheid South Africa is in a transitional justice period. Transitional justice refers to a period where judicial and non-judicial reformation steps are taken after massive human rights abuses. Social reform is the country’s top priority in order to balance unequal power relations. South African museums are non-judicial spaces where the unequal power dynamics of the past and the present are being renegotiated. Within this context, established museums have to reform and new museums are being built to include previously marginalised groups. The museums of South Africa are adapting to meet the needs and fantasies of both South Africans and foreign tourists. The needs of the population are met by the museum’s ability to contribute to shaping identity, but also the museum’s peripheral function as an economic mechanism. Museums of South Africa function in a loaded context that needs to address inequalities that span across the board. What strategies do museums apply in order to contribute to the shaping of identity and social development in post-Apartheid South Africa?Show less
