Remembrance, Commemoration and Memory: Negotiating the politics of display in the Imperial War Museum public programmes, 1960 - 2014

自1920年正式开放以来，帝国战争博物馆为公众提供了学习和了解现代战争历史和战时经历的机会。随着时间的推移，博物馆提供的展览和公众参与机会利用不断变化的展示和解释模式，挑战观众以新的眼光看待军事接触和经历。2014年，帝国战争博物馆将成为第一次世界大战爆发100周年纪念活动的中心协调组织。帝国战争博物馆正计划重新开发他们的画廊，这是一个雄心勃勃的项目，旨在为第一次世界大战和战时经历的历史解释树立新的标准。本博士将研究从20世纪60年代开始在帝国战争博物馆展出的第一次世界大战公共临时和永久展览，这十年见证了博物馆的彻底重建，尽管计划在2014年之前对画廊进行重新开发。除了对过去实践的考察，该项目还将对帝国战争博物馆的展览、活动和相关的观众参与活动的发展计划进行批判性分析，以纪念2014年的百年纪念。在记录自20世纪60年代以来第一次世界大战展览的演变过程中，该项目将揭示记忆和纪念实践是如何变化的，并将它们置于理解第一次世界大战历史的不同方法中。该项目将追溯公众参与第一次世界大战的历史，近年来随着最后一位退伍军人的去世而改变，这已经消除了与战争本身直接的“生活记忆”联系。随着学术界、公众和公众对第一次世界大战的兴趣日益浓厚，帝国战争博物馆正在寻求更新其对第一次世界大战的历史研究方法，这一事件与即将到来的百年纪念一起为帝国战争博物馆创造了一个新的焦点。这座博物馆的重建将是一个非常重要的事件，不仅在博物馆内部，而且对其他寻求从帝国战争博物馆重建过程中学习成果的地方、国家和国际博物馆来说都是如此。该博士研究的核心是研究这一重要重建项目的独特机会。这项研究的好处是多方面的。博士生将受益于跨学术、博物馆、遗产和项目政策背景的工作，获得宝贵的可转移技能。这项研究将激发围绕第一次世界大战遗址和博物馆背景下的纪念、纪念和记忆的展示、展示和参与的讨论。该项目将在文化和历史地理、博物馆、遗产和第一次世界大战研究之间的界面上工作，扩展这些领域的学术辩论。这项研究将通过让工作人员参与过去的展示政治，并围绕展示第一次世界大战历史的替代方法展开批判性讨论，为2014年帝国战争博物馆的重建提供支持。在这里，系谱学方法的发展和吸引新受众的方法是重要的。重要的是，这项研究将为国家公共机构对第一次世界大战历史的当代和历史展示提供持续的分析。通过使用与展览实践相关的封闭档案资源，收集参与策划过去展览的工作人员的新的口述历史，以及积极参与2014年的规划，学生将独特地为帝国战争博物馆的过去和现在的工作提供一个关键的镜头。

Since it formally opened in 1920, the Imperial War Museum has provided opportunities for the public to study and understand the history of modern war and wartime experience. Over time, the exhibitions and public engagement opportunities offered by the Museum have utilised changing modes of display and interpretation to challenge audiences to consider military engagements and experiences with fresh eyes. In 2014 the Imperial War Museum will be the central co-ordinating organisation for events pertaining to the centenary of the start of the First World War. The Imperial War Museum is planning to redevelop their galleries with an ambitious programme to set new standards in historical interpretation of the First World War and wartime experience.This PhD will examine the presentation of the First World War public temporary and permanent displays in the Imperial War Museum starting from 1960s, a decade that saw radical regeneration of the museum, though to the planned redevelopment of the galleries in the lead up to 2014. Alongside an examination of past practices, the project will develop a critical analysis of the Imperial War Museum's developing programme of exhibitions, events and related audience engagement activities to mark the 2014 centenary.In documenting the evolving process of First World War display since the 1960s the project will uncover how memory and commemorative practices have changed and will situate them within different approaches to understanding First World War histories. The project will trace the history of public engagement with the First World War, transformed in recent years with the death of the last veteran, which has extinguished a direct 'living-memory' link to the War itself. This passing, alongside the forthcoming centenary, creates a new focus for the Imperial War Museum, which is seeking to refresh its historical approach to the conflict, amidst increasing academic, public and popular interest in the First World War. This Museum's redevelopment will be a highly significant event, not only within the Museum, but also to other local, national and international museums seeking to learn from the outcomes of the Imperial War Museum redevelopment process. The unique opportunity to study the unfolding nature of this important redevelopment lies at the heart of this PhD research.The benefits of the research are manifold. The PhD student will benefit from working across the academic, museum, heritage and policy contexts of the project gaining valuable transferable skills. The research will stimulate discussion around the presentation, display and engagement with remembrance, commemoration and memory in First World War heritage site and museum contexts. The project will work at the interface between cultural and historical geography, museum, heritage and First World War studies, extending academic debates in these fields. The research will feed into the 2014 redevelopment of the Imperial War Museum by engaging staff with the past politics of display and opening up critical discussion around alternative approaches to the presentation of First World War histories. Here the development of genealogical approaches and methods of engaging new audiences are significant.Importantly, the research will offer a sustained analysis of the contemporary and historical presentation of First World War histories in a national public institution. By using closed archival sources linked to exhibition practices, collecting new oral histories of staff involved in curating past exhibitions, alongside the active participation in planning for the 2014, the student will be uniquely placed to offer a critical lens on the past and present work of the Imperial War Museum.