Belgian Museums of the Great War
Belgian Museums of the Great War: Politics, Memory, and Commerce examines the handling of the centennial of World War I by several museums along the Western Front in Flanders, Belgium. In the twenty-first century, the museum has become a strategic space for negotiating ownership of and access to knowledge produced in local settings. The specific focus on museums and commemorative events in Flanders allows for an in-depth evaluation of how each museum works with the remembrance and tourist industry in the region while carving a unique niche. Belgian Museums of the Great War writes the history of these institutions, analyzes the changes made in advance of the anniversary years, and considers the site-specificity of each institution and its architectural frame. Since museums not only transmit information but also shape knowledge, as Eileen Hooper-Greenhill has noted, the diverse narratives and community programs sponsored by each museum have served to challenge prior historiographies of the war. Through newly revamped interactive environments, self-guided learning, and an emphasis on the landscape, the museums in Flanders have a significant role to play in the ever-changing dialogue on the meaning of the history and remembrance of the Great War.
Karen Shelby is an Associate Professor of Art History at Baruch College, City University of New York. Her research focuses on the cultural politics of exhibition narratives, memorials, and cemetery design through examination of the visual culture of the Great War.
Routledge Research in Museum Studies
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9 Museums, Heritage and Indigenous Voice Decolonising Engagement
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For more information on this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Routledge-Research-in-Museum-Studies/book-series/RRIMS
First published 2018
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2018 Karen Shelby
The right of Karen Shelby to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Shelby, Karen D., author.
Title: Belgium museums of the Great War : politics, memory, and commerce / Karen Shelby.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. | Series: Routledge research in museum studies | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017009320 (print) | LCCN 2017013851 (ebook) | ISBN 9781315673899 (eBook) | ISBN 9781138941052 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: World War, 1914-1918--Museums--Belgium.
Classification: LCC D680.B4 (ebook) | LCC D680.B4 S53 2017 (print) | DDC 940.3074/493--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017009320
ISBN: 978-1-138-94105-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-67389-9 (ebk)
I would like to thank the following, without whom this book would not have been possible.
Interviews with personnel at the museums, members of the Flemish government and organizations associated with the centennial preparations were invaluable. Everyone was so kind to take the time to speak to me, sometimes on numerous occasions. Thank you to Paul Breyne, Commissioner-General for the Commemoration of the First World War; Pierre Ruyffelaere, General Coordinator of The Great War Centenary (201418); Lea Winkeler, Project Manager The Great War Centenary for Visit Flanders; Geert De Proost, General Representative of the Government of Flanders to the U.S., and Nicolas Polet, Director of Governmental and Academic Affairs, both of Flanders House in New York City; and Stephen Lodewyck, the Program Coordinator for the Centennial of the Great War in the Westhoek for Westtoer. Pierre Ruyffelaere was instrumental in helping me wrap my head around the intricacies of the centennial funding and provided helpful feedback on Conservateur of the Museum aan de IJzer; and Johan Vandewalle of the Caf Taverne de Dreve.
Students in the museum seminar at the University of Ghent provided feedback and added insight to the interpretations of the Museum aan de IJzer. Thank you to Jan-Baptise Boon, Phylis Dierick, Marjolein Dietliens, Linde Leppens, Olivier Van Dhuynslager, and Nina Vanslambrouck.
The initial ideas of the book were presented by invited lecture to members of the Research Group Experiences and Memories of the Great War in Belgium (Memex WWI), Belspo (Federal Public Planning Service Science Policy Office). Thank you to Karla Vanraepenbusch, doctoral candidate at the University of Leuven and research assistant at CegeSOma, the Study Centre for War and Society, for the initial invitation and to the members of Memex for an engaging discussion, which helped me formulate the final structure of the book.
