Visitor Attraction Management - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... This comparative essay will discuss the contradictory roles of these museums in forming the general perceptions of the people about the holocaust as both these museums provide the knowledge about the holocaust. This paper is divided in to two sections. The first section depicts the correlation between the evolving forms, functions ad role of the museum in explaining and remembering the past events. Specifically, this section will describe that how the holocaust has been explained through the layout, architecture, content and methodologies used in these museums. On the other hand, the second section of this paper identifies the issues specific to the portrayals of the holocaust as it outlines the difficulties encountered in the presentation of the pertinent ending to the holocaust and the problems related to the geographical and political context of the museum. 2. Reinvention, Representation and Public Perception of the Museum The contribution of the museum in developing the public perception of the holocaust (in the context of this essay) or any other historical event must be considered as the change in the perception and objective of the museum itself. In the nineteenth century, Michel Foucault recognized the concept of ‘heterotopia of time’ for the museum with the emergence of the idea that a place of all times should be developed that is actually outside time and thereby, preserved and secured from its destruction (Lord, 2006). Hence, the state run museum institution was formed at that time for the purpose of organizing a sort of permanent and infinite collection of time in a place that will not change or move (Grimes, 1999). Then the concept of museum transformed into the development of forms of representation of the past that are more socially responsive and inclusive rather than just being an ‘ivory tower of exclusivity’ (Anderson, 2004). The design, architecture, mediums and content of the museum were inspired by post-structuralism that includes the defiance from absolute truths in their representations of the history. In the era of post modernism, the concept of reality or truth is nothing more than a stuck pile of dead bodies, dead matter, and dead language (Walsh, 1992). Subsequently, the museums like the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum involve their audiences in self reflexive interaction in relation to the subjectivity of their experience and contribution of the audience and the curator towards the development of the historical knowledge (Crane, 1997). Both these museums objectively deny the general expectations of the museums and subvert the assumption that they can provide factual, unbiased and truthful knowledge related to the holocaust through easily understandable forms. 3. Auschwitz Memory and its Representations. Since 1947, Auschwitz-Birkenau is the State museum of the previous German Nazi Concentration Extermination Camp. It is known to be the world’s largest cemetery and the historical icon of the World War II that proves the Nazi genocide and reminds of the religious hatred between the Christians and the Jews of that time. This site provides great knowledge about the holocaust history and attracts mass tourism. There also used to be the times when the survivors of the Auschwitz dilemma and ...Download file to see next pagesRead More