War in the Museum: Workshop in Würzburg

- by Tadek Wojtych

The rise of right-wing populism and its implications for museums were at the centre of a two-day workshop that I orgnaised for Museum Studies students at Würzburg University on Dec 1 and Dec 8, 2023.

The workshop kicked off with a discussion about the key concepts related to historical narratives in museums. We explored how local, national, and transnational perspectives are intertwined in exhibitions, debated whether historical narratives can be liberal, conservative, or populist, and analysed the role that museums play in memory politics. We then explored in detail the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, Poland, focusing in particular on the changes introduced by the new curatorial team associated with the Law and Justice government. An analysis of individual exhibits and multimedia served as a starting point for a broader discussion of the conservative turn in Poland’s (and Europe’s) memory politics in recent years. During the second session, we were also joined by Agata Abramowicz, one of the museum’s former curators, who shared her experience with collecting exhibits related to the deportation of Crimean Tatars.

I very much enjoyed working with a group of enthusiastic and knowledgeable students, who approached a sensitive topic with empathy and respect for each other’s views. I was also happy to learn (from the anonymous feedback forms) that the students appreciated the ‘practical’ and ‘interactive’ nature of the workshop and enjoyed getting to know ‘a British and Polish perspective not only on WWII, but also on curating and museum politics’.

Image: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, https://www.flickr.com/photos/polandmfa/39939101943, accessed 14 December 2023.

Last modified: Wed, 10 Jan 2024 12:13:39 GMT