Shaped by familiarity: Memory, Space and Materiality at Imperial War Museum North

Authors

  • Angela Loxham Department of Sociology, Lancaster University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v13i4.351

Abstract

This paper considers Imperial War Museum North’s attempts to disturb popular
memories about British experiences of war through the mobilisation of space and
materiality. However, it is argued that this does not succeed because of the spatial mediation and object placement employed throughout which allow the museum to reinforce bodily, spatial and historical experiences of the outside world. The second part of the paper analyses the neglected place of the museum shop in
this, which contributes to making the IWM visit one of familiarity because of the
quotidian consumption practices that are encouraged there.

Author Biography

Angela Loxham, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University

Angela Loxham is an Economic and Social Research Council 1+3 PhD Student in the Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, UK. Her current research focuses primarily
on the tactile sense and the development of this as a bodily habit in domestic and consumer environments of the nineteenth century. She is also interested in the use of space and materiality in museums and public spaces for changing bodily conduct, both in historical and contemporary contexts. She has published work in several journals including, Journal of Historical Sociology,
Journal of Macromarketing and Textile History (forthcoming).

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Published

01.11.2015

How to Cite

Loxham, A. (2015). Shaped by familiarity: Memory, Space and Materiality at Imperial War Museum North. Museum & Society, 13(4), 522–538. https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v13i4.351

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 4 (2015): Making Military Histories in Museums

Section

Articles

License

Copyright remains with the author(s) of the article. This article can be re-used according to the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0  licence.