The Muted Voice: The Limitations of Museums and the Depiction of Controversial History

Abstract

In a thorough discussion of military museums – and in this particular instance, the
National Army Museum – there must be a frank and realistic assessment of the
limitations that factor into how military history can be depicted. This perspective
paper considers two specific aspects of this process. First, it discusses the
challenges confronting the National Army Museum when the history it covers
cannot be fully depicted in the sterility of a museum setting. Second, it considers
how the museum should deal with controversial histories. After all, the history
of the British Army is to a large degree a history of war and imperialism, and an
entire range of ethical and political perspectives are inevitably involved in the
portrayal of that history. This paper examines these challenges – the limitations
which can mute the museum’s voice – and concludes that once these factors
are acknowledged, the National Army Museum’s strengths and successes can
be clearly understood and better appreciated.