National identity in cultural venues. Wales' national identity in St. Fagans National Museum of History and Wales Millennium centre

Abstract

National identity has been widely discussed in the cultural studies and is more and more concerned when the nationalism is rising back with Brexit and the US election. Cultural venues as powerful instruments in performing national identity, however, have not received sufficient attention. In Wales, the government has always attempted to promote the Welsh identity and differentiate it from the English, claiming Wales as a nation with distinctive characteristics. The research analyses the “Welshness” expressed in two top attractions of the country: St Fagans National Museum of History and Wales Millennium Centre, helping to understand how these institutions deliver and construct the nation’s cultural values, as well as contributing to the larger academic debates. The results have shown that the places perform their roles with different focuses, and there are many discrepancies in the presentations of the cultural components, including the spatiality, material culture, social and cultural life. It also demonstrates the complexity of the national identity, with its elements intertwine into each other and its fluidity in response to various factors and forces. Thus, this phenomenon should not and cannot be assumed or generalised, but requests close examination in particular circumstances to understand.