The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh – Within a Process of Incessant Changes of Historical Narration and the Modification of Memory

Karolina Łabowicz-Dymanus

konteksty@ispan.pl
Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8300-0548

Abstract

The author analysed dynamic changes within historical policy and cultural memory upon the example of the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on its role in the ongoing evolution of the Vietnamese historical narrative and collective memory of the 1945–1975 war. By means of an analysis of the Museum’s adaptation to changing political landscapes and international perceptions, the study highlights how changes in Vietnam’s domestic and foreign policy have influenced the Museum’s discourse. The author emphasized the interaction between state historical policy, global geopolitics, and visitor expectations, leading to a nuanced reconfiguration of Museum exhibits. This reevaluation represents a broader effort to balance national identity with global narratives, reflecting the complex process of remembering and interpreting the war’s legacy.

Keywords:

War Remnants Museum, historical narrative, collective memory, Vietnamese historical politics, global geopolitics, Vietnam War, national identity, propaganda, perception, museum narrative

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Published
2024-12-23

Cited by

Łabowicz-Dymanus, K. (2024) “The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh – Within a Process of Incessant Changes of Historical Narration and the Modification of Memory”, Konteksty, 346(3), pp. 62–68. doi: 10.36744/k.2592.

Authors

Karolina Łabowicz-Dymanus 
konteksty@ispan.pl
Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8300-0548

 

Karolina Łabowicz-Dymanus – prowadzi Pracownię Dokumentacji Sztuk Wizualnych ISPAN; specjalizuje się w sztuce XX i XXI wieku, w teoriach postkolonialnych i postzależnościowych oraz globalnych procesach modernizacyjnych w teorii sztuki, sztuce oraz ich instytucjach. Autorka tekstów z zakresu teorii sztuki i polityki kulturalnej, od lat uczestniczy w projektach poświęconych współczesnej sztuce estońskiej (np. Cultural Heterologies and Democracy Culture in the Baltic Countries in the 1990s). Obecnie prowadzi badania nad wymianą artystyczną pomiędzy PRL i krajami socjalistycznej Azji w latach 50. XX wieku.



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