Museum space and the remembrance of conflict : How the mnemonics of twenty-first century Dutch museum landscapes represent, shape and reshape the contemporary Dutch collective memory of the violent decolonization of the Indonesian archipelago (1945-1950)
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2014-06-29
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en
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Abstract
In this study the Tropenmuseum, Museum Bronbeek, the Rijksmuseum and the
Verzetsmuseum are all studied with the question in mind: How do the mnemonics of twentyfirst
century Dutch museum landscapes represent, shape and reshape the contemporary Dutch
collective memory of the violent decolonization of the Indonesian archipelago (1945-1950)?
The first thing that is surprising to observe is that all museums do not pay attention to
the violence and atrocities committed during the decolonization of the Indonesian
archipelago. Furthermore, in the Tropenmuseum and the Rijksmuseum the decolonization is
only mentioned once and there is no space (no object, no images and only on one line of text)
dedicated to the decolonisation. The other two museums do address the decolonization but in
the case of Bronbeek in a strictly neutral way and in the case of the Verzetsmuseum there is
also not much room for the decolonization (although more than in the bigger Tropenmuseum
and Rijksmuseum). The attitude towards the decolonization differs from silence
(Rijksmuseum and Tropenmuseum) to neutrality (Bronbeek) to engagement
(Verzetsmuseum). But each of these museums have pockets of silence, make people invisible
and most of them promote a Dutch orientated view on the past. An integrated and balanced
picture of the colonial society during the decolonization is missing or is coloured by the
influence of the Dutch identity or the pressure form specific Dutch mnemonic communities
(veterans or Indische Nederlanders).
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen