•  
  •  
 
Kritika Kultura

Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0006-7547-7913; 0000-0003-4123-0550; 0000-0001-5387-9387;

Abstract

In this article, we employ a decolonial methodology to question whose voices and histories are highlighted and whose are silenced in museum exhibitions. This methodology is employed to analyze the memorial museums situated on sites associated with state-induced violence, or, more precisely, within the premises of the Karaganda Corrective Labor Camp (the museum in Dolinka and the “ALZHIR” memorial complex). Our objective is to examine how these museums endeavor to reclaim these sites as significant for national history and identity. The museums employ various strategies to deimperialize the message conveyed through their exhibits and to find a balance between the postcolonial preservation of the Soviet legacy and the decolonizing efforts aimed at undoing this legacy. The first strategy involves assimilating the imperial Soviet past with broader historical instances of injustice and the creation of hybrid exhibitions that do not correspond to the museums in terms of time, place, or other characteristics. The second strategy implies relying on symbols that visitors are expected to decode. The third strategy is the domestication of difficult heritage, for example portraying Karlag as an integral part of regional history. We conclude that although the museums of political repression have made some efforts to avoid an imperial and colonial interpretation of difficult heritage, contemporary exhibitions often fail to give voice to all the groups that have experienced violence. To decolonize the museums and challenge the dominant gaze, it is crucial to incorporate multiple perspectives and voices, including those of marginalized groups and local communities.

Download

Share

COinS