David Dean

Review of our book by Louise Forsyth in alt.theatre
Thanks to alt.theatre for the .pdf and permission to post it.
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alt.theatre is Canada's only professional journal dedicated to the intersections of politics, cultural diversity, social activism, and the stage, and is a non-profit print magazine produced by Montreal's Teesri Duniya Theatre. We are passionate about our mission of curating space for scholars and artists working with themes of diversity, equity, and politics to share their work, and in turn we rely on the support of the community to help keep the magazine going. The cost of a single issue is $6, an annual subscription (4 issues) is $20, and a two-year subscription is only $32. Please consider buying this issue, or ordering a subscription, or making a donation. You can do so easily by visiting alttheatre.ca, or by contacting our manager at [email protected].

This article examines a range of issues surrounding the proposition that museums are excellent sites in which historical understanding can be deepened, thus raising the possibility of peaceful resolution to conflict and the achievement of social justice. The article begins by arguing that Canada is a case study worthy of detailed exploration. A settler state with a significant aboriginal presence, Canada is unique in its official commitment to multicultural and bilingual identities, and its traditional identity as a country extolling human rights, social justice, environmental responsibility and peacekeeping. These markers of nationhood have become increasingly problematic in light of the Conservative government’s insistence upon unifying narratives of nationhood privileging military glories, ties to the British monarchy, and constitutional achievements. This reinvention of the nation has been visible in many places, but especially in commemorative practices, sites of memory, and museums. Recent and ongoing changes to the museum landscape have ignited much discussion about the nature and role of national museums. The author offers a summary of recent scholarly work by public historians on museums in contemporary society, and considers museums that explicitly assert an agenda of social responsibility, before introducing the reader to three major national museums in Canada: the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Canadian Museum of Civilization (soon to be the Canadian History Museum), and the Canadian War Museum. Finally, the paper introduces readers to the articles that follow in this special issue.