Museum Politics: Power Plays at the Exhibition

by Timothy W. Luke

Each year the more than seven thousand museums in the United States attract more attendees than either movies or sports. Yet until recently, museums have escaped serious political analysis. The past decade, however, has witnessed a series of unusually acrimonious debates about the social, political, and moral implications of museum exhibitions as varied as the Enola Gay display at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum and the "Sensation" exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. In this important volume, Timothy W. Luke explores the power that museums have to shape collective values and social understandings, and argues persuasively that museum exhibitions have a profound effect on the body politic. Through discussions of topics ranging from how the National Holocaust Museum and the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles have interpreted the Holocaust to the ways in which the American Museum of Natural History, the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and Tucson's Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum have depicted the natural world, Luke exposes the processes through which museums challenge but more often affirm key cultural and social realities. Timothy W. Luke is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

296 pages, Textbook Binding

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Luke’s work is a reminder that our national collective identity has been manufactured and created overtime by many forces with specific agendas. Throughout his book, he illustrates how museums have come to be seen as authoritative institutions where such forces often engage in battle to control the messages that visitors have the opportunity to view and access. The cancellation of the Enola Gay exhibit by The National Air and Space Museum in January of 1995 is one example of how outside forces can influence whether or not the public can even access certain information in museums if it happens to challenge the conservative status quo. Through specific examples such as this, Luke indicates how messages involving specific views of culture, history, nature, and technology are constructed in order to create a collective consensus that will, in turn, support a corresponding public policy. He warns against alliances with the entertainment industry which many museums have incorporated into their programs with theatrical exhibits intended to attract visitors. His example of how The Holocaust Museum has chosen to perpetuate the views and messages previously manufactured by the entertainment industry illustrates that such displays, although attractive, overshadow the greater mission of creating educational exhibits which foster reflection, critical analysis, and encourage visitors to apply what they learned to current realities. This, Luke contends, is the biggest problem museums must address in their current state.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great piece to read when studying the fundamental politics that exist in the field of public history. Luke excelled at analyzing how certain exhibitions are so deeply embroiled into our politics that it can be hard to be critical of the historical importance - I.e. Such is the case with the Enola Gay exhibit and the conservative backlash. Still, Luke's style could be dry and incredibly dense at times but otherwise this book is a must read for public historians.

[LauriAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this guy has met one museum he likes...

[Iain Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

V cool stuff on Holocaust museums