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“Guarding the Past: Memory Securitization and Museum Collections”
2024
19 pp

In this paper, I examine how the concept of memory securitization manifests within and through a museum's permanent collection. Focusing on the Wende Museum of the Cold War, I explore how selected artifacts and artworks within the collection can reflect, reinforce, or contest securitized national narratives. I begin by outlining the theoretical framework of memory securitization, followed by an analysis of specific pieces from the collection that connect to contentious historical narratives. I trace the evolution of their display and interpretation, noting changes in curatorial approaches that correspond to broader societal shifts in how public memory is constructed and maintained. Through this work, I aim to illustrate the dynamic role museums can play in shaping public memory, showing how these institutions operate not only as guardians of the past but as spaces where memory is actively negotiated and reshaped.