Τα μουσεία και η δημιουργία της εθνικής ταυτότητας στη Σερβία

Abstract

“Places of memory” ― places that create and articulate meanings of the past, represent formative issue of collective memory and identity building processes. These places encounter diverse discourses, which reflect different perceptions of historical events, personalities and phenomena, being a substantive matter of ideological narratives, patterns of value systems and political practices in the society. Among great number of remarkable topics that could be designated as “places of memory” ― from historical data, celebrations and commemorations, monuments, prominent artifacts set in public, historical or mythical figures; to sport clubs and societies, food, entertainment and festivities ― among all these subjects, museums are basic elements in “spatialization” of ideologies and political projects. That is the reason why analysis of museums, their conceptual framework, exhibition policies and, above all, their contextual references, represent a key for understanding complex processes of identification that characterize contemporary societies. To focus the Belgrade museums as particular case study of historical culture in Serbia, enables thorough a survey of both interpretations and evaluations of historical and cultural heritage, Yugoslav experiences, tradition of wars, rebels and uprisings, and so on. It is likely that ubiquitous deficiency of permanent exhibitions in majority of Belgrade museums represents symptomatic feature of prevailing concept of identity in Serbia, which still lacks rational relations with historical discourses. Such analysis reveals historical controversies and inefficient attempts for their understanding and overcoming. Finally, it is important to trace and display the reasons why Belgrade museums have failed to exercise and govern process of constructing a consensual image of the past, to recognize and promote the art of interpretation, as well as of a dialogue that surely represents the basic issue of multicultural and multi directional identity in any contemporary society.