Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber Command
This paper examines a recent controversy at the new Canadian War Museum over its exhibition on the Allied Bomber Offensive campaign in the Second World War. Although recent surveys of the public’s attitudes towards museums suggest that the public both trusts museums to get the story right and thinks...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Leicester
2009-03-01
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| Series: | Museum & Society |
| Online Access: | https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/mas/article/view/127 |
| _version_ | 1819260839121649664 |
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| author | David Dean |
| author_facet | David Dean |
| author_sort | David Dean |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper examines a recent controversy at the new Canadian War Museum over its exhibition on the Allied Bomber Offensive campaign in the Second World War. Although recent surveys of the public’s attitudes towards museums suggest that the public both trusts museums to get the story right and thinks museums are good places to deal with controversial topics, in this case the Museum found itself under attack. In the end, despite generally positive reviews from historians called in to review the display, the Museum was forced to make changes after a Parliamentary sub-committee demanded it do so. The paper argues that the Museum’s inability to withstand such intense pressure can be attributed to a number of factors, including its ambiguous nature as a war memorial museum. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:32:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c34d3f951f84bb28b9957abb031ae5a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1479-8360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T19:32:17Z |
| publishDate | 2009-03-01 |
| publisher | University of Leicester |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Museum & Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c34d3f951f84bb28b9957abb031ae5a2022-12-21T17:33:52ZengUniversity of LeicesterMuseum & Society1479-83602009-03-0171115116Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber CommandDavid DeanThis paper examines a recent controversy at the new Canadian War Museum over its exhibition on the Allied Bomber Offensive campaign in the Second World War. Although recent surveys of the public’s attitudes towards museums suggest that the public both trusts museums to get the story right and thinks museums are good places to deal with controversial topics, in this case the Museum found itself under attack. In the end, despite generally positive reviews from historians called in to review the display, the Museum was forced to make changes after a Parliamentary sub-committee demanded it do so. The paper argues that the Museum’s inability to withstand such intense pressure can be attributed to a number of factors, including its ambiguous nature as a war memorial museum.https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/mas/article/view/127 |
| spellingShingle | David Dean Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber Command Museum & Society |
| title | Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber Command |
| title_full | Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber Command |
| title_fullStr | Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber Command |
| title_full_unstemmed | Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber Command |
| title_short | Museums as conflict zones: the Canadian War Museum and Bomber Command |
| title_sort | museums as conflict zones the canadian war museum and bomber command |
| url | https://journals.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/mas/article/view/127 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT daviddean museumsasconflictzonesthecanadianwarmuseumandbombercommand |