"GULAG History Museum as a reflection of traumatic experience"
How to Cite
Postnaia E. "GULAG History Museum as a reflection of traumatic experience". Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2016. Vol. 8. No. 12. P. 68-79. (in Russ.).
Abstract
The paper is devoted to the case of GULAG History Museum, which belongs to the category of “museums of conscience”. This type of museums functions in order not only to preserve memory, but also to reinterpret tragic events of the past. The GULAG Museum sets the mission to admit the past and turn to compassion and conception by creating “the site of memory”, constructing space for public discussion and involvement into socially important activities. The methodology is based on the descriptive case-study. Empirical data was collected from February to April in 2015 in the museum’s building in Petrovka street. The data include interviews, fieldnotes, texts of visitors’ books and survey data. The data shows a variety of ways for grasping the museum idea: such social practices as “edutainment” – obtaining knowledge using interactive technologies and “time machine” – the possibility to feel authentic experience of repressed people were marked. The museum is visited by different types of people, such as professionals, students, relatives of repressed, foreigners and occasional visitors. The results of the research show that thw museum is perceived as the controversial place, both sacral and public, where individuals obtain knowledge, actively communicate and experience authentic emotions of repressed people. The goal of the museum resides in bringing memory of Soviet repressions to public discussion and in actualization of this theme in contemporary Russian media discourse.
Keywords:
GULAG museum, memorial museum, museum of conscience, repressions, memory, edutainment
References
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Jeffers C. S. (2003) Museum as a Process. The Journal of Aesthetic Education; vol. 37; no 1; pp. 107–119.
Koncepciia razvitiia gosudarstvennogo muzeia istorii GULAGa [Development Conception of the GULAG History State Museum] (2013) Departament kul’tury g. Moskvy. GBUK «Gosudarstvennyj muzej istorii GULAGa». [Culture Department of Moscow. The GULAG History State Museum. Development Conception of the GULAG History State Museum] URL: http://gmig.ru/upload/ckeditor/Концепция%20развития%20Государственного%20музея%20истории%20ГУЛАГа%202014%20посл.pdf (accessed 20.05.2015).
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Leshhenko A. (2008) Kennet Hadson o social’noj istorii muzeev [Kennet Hudson about Social History of Museums]. Vestnik RGGU; no 10; pp. 242-243.
Literaturno-prosvetitel’skaja programma “Moskva Varlama Shalamova” [Literary-Educational Program “Moscow of Varlam Shalamov”] (2016) Uroki istorii XX vek [Project “History Lessons XX century”]. 24 January. URL: http://urokiistorii.ru/node/53036 (accessed 13.01.2017).
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Ševčenko L. Sites of Conscience: Reimagining Reparations. Change over time; 2011; vol. 1; no 1; pp. 6–33.
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Zhivaja kniga pamjati [Life memory book] (2013) Muzey istorii GULAGa [GULAG history museum]. 15 April. URL: http://www.gmig.ru/view/event/9 (accessed 14.01.2017).
Gnedovsky M. (2010) Starye i novye istoricheskie muzei. Panorama memorial’nyh muzeev («muzeev sovesti»). Proekt «Uroki istorii XX vek» [Old and modern historical museums. Prospect of memorial museums (“museums of conscience”). Project “History Lessons XX century”]. 7 October. URL: http://urokiistorii.ru/memory/place/1194 (accessed 28.01.2015).
Istomina A. (2013) Kratkosrochnoe vkljuchennoe nabljudenie: opyt dostizhenija rolej s vysokoj stepen’ju vovlechennosti [Short-term Participant Observation: Experience of Role Attainment with High Level of Engagement]. Sociologia: 4M; no 37; pp. 75-103.
Jeffers C. S. (2003) Museum as a Process. The Journal of Aesthetic Education; vol. 37; no 1; pp. 107–119.
Koncepciia razvitiia gosudarstvennogo muzeia istorii GULAGa [Development Conception of the GULAG History State Museum] (2013) Departament kul’tury g. Moskvy. GBUK «Gosudarstvennyj muzej istorii GULAGa». [Culture Department of Moscow. The GULAG History State Museum. Development Conception of the GULAG History State Museum] URL: http://gmig.ru/upload/ckeditor/Концепция%20развития%20Государственного%20музея%20истории%20ГУЛАГа%202014%20посл.pdf (accessed 20.05.2015).
Kopytoff I. (2006) Kul’turnaja biografija veshhej: tovarizacija kak process [Cultural Biography of Things: Commodification as a Process]. Sociologija veshhej: sbornik statej. [Sociology of Things: Collection of Articles] (ed. V. Vahshtain); Moscow: Territorija budushhego; pp. 134-165.
Kozina I. (1997) Case-study: nekotorye metodicheskie problemy [Case-study: Some Methodological Problems]. Rubezh (al’manah social’nyh issledovanij); no 10-11; pp. 177-189.
Leshhenko A. (2008) Kennet Hadson o social’noj istorii muzeev [Kennet Hudson about Social History of Museums]. Vestnik RGGU; no 10; pp. 242-243.
Literaturno-prosvetitel’skaja programma “Moskva Varlama Shalamova” [Literary-Educational Program “Moscow of Varlam Shalamov”] (2016) Uroki istorii XX vek [Project “History Lessons XX century”]. 24 January. URL: http://urokiistorii.ru/node/53036 (accessed 13.01.2017).
Memorial’nyj proekt «Poslednij adres» [Memorial project “Last address”]. Fond «Poslednij adres» [Foundation “Last address”]. URL: http://www.poslednyadres.ru/about/ (accessed 13.01.2017).
Novaja jekspozicija poezda «Akvarel’» [New Exposition of “Akvarel” Train]. Press-sluzhba Moskovskogo metropolitena [Moscow Metro Press Service]. URL: http://mosmetro.ru/press/projects/watercolour/ (accessed 22.11.2014).
Ševčenko L. Sites of Conscience: Reimagining Reparations. Change over time; 2011; vol. 1; no 1; pp. 6–33.
Sociokul’turnyj analiz i razvitie territorij Rossii: problemy i reshenija: monografija (2012) [Socio-cultural Analysis and Development of Russian Territory: Problems and Solutions: monograph] (ed. O. Sevan); Moscow: FORUM.
Topografija Terrora (Rossija) [The Topography of Terror (Russia)]. URL: http://topos.memo.ru (accessed 13.01.2017).
Zhivaja kniga pamjati [Life memory book] (2013) Muzey istorii GULAGa [GULAG history museum]. 15 April. URL: http://www.gmig.ru/view/event/9 (accessed 14.01.2017).
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APA
Postnaia, E. (2016). "GULAG History Museum as a reflection of traumatic experience". Interaction. Interview. Interpretation, 8(12), 68-79. Retrieved from https://www.inter-fnisc.ru/index.php/inter/article/view/4914
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Essay
