Exhibiting Nation
Multicultural Nationalism (and Its Limits) in Canada’s Museums
This exploration of museums as sites for representing and defining national identity encourages us to reconsider the idea of the multicultural nation.
Description
Canada’s brand of nationalism celebrates diversity – so long as it doesn’t challenge the unity, authority, or legitimacy of the state. Caitlin Gordon-Walker explores this tension between unity and diversity in three nationally recognized museums, institutions that must make judgments about what counts as “too different” in order to celebrate who we are as a people and nation through exhibits, programs, and design. Although the contradictions that lie at the heart of multicultural nationalism have the potential to constrain political engagement and dialogue, the sensory feasts on display in Canada’s museums provide a space for citizens to both question and renegotiate the limits of their national vision.
Reviews
Exhibiting Nation is an accessible book that contextualizes prominent Canadian institutions within the established study of museology, making it an academic contribution that has been long overdue. Its case study approach will be valuable to both curators and academics[...]
- Cody Groat