Many of Malaysia's museums in fact contest the National Museum's overarching narrative. This contestation can be seen in differing or changing treatments of a variety of subjects: the portrayal of Malaysia's pre-Islamic past, the history and heritage of the Melaka sultanate, memories of the Japanese Occupation, national cultural policy, and cultural differences between the Federation's constituent states.
This study reads selected museums and memorials in Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Kelantan and Terengganu, as well as three memorials dedicated to national heroes (first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, long-time Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and film and recording artist P. Ramlee).
The book uses textual analysis and interviews with serving and retired museum bureaucrats to understand the dynamics of changing museological approaches and the tensions that they express (and engender). Museums, History and Culture in Malaysia yields a rich historiography and a fascinating insight into the ways Malaysia attempts to reconcile different national stories and visions.
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