Museums, memory and meaning‐creation: (re)constructing the Tajik nation

Helge Blakkisrud,Faruh Kuziev

doi:10.1111/nana.12519

Helge Blakkisrud, Faruh Kuziev

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12519

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Abstract

AbstractTo overcome the traumas of the 1992–1997 civil war, the Tajik authorities have turned to history to anchor their post‐independence nation‐building project. This article explores the role of the National Museum of Tajikistan, examining how the museum discursively contributes to ‘nationalising’ history and cultural heritage for the benefit of the current Tajik nation‐building project. Three main discursive strategies for such (re)construction of Tajik national identity are identified: (1) the representation of the Tajiks as a transhistorical community; (2) implicit claims of the site‐specificity of the historical events depicted in the museum, by representing these as having taken place within the territory of present‐day Tajikistan, thereby linking the nation to this territory; and (3) meaning‐creation, endowing museum objects with meanings that fit into and reinforce the grand narrative promulgated by the museum. We conclude that the National Museum of Tajikistan demonstrates a rich and promising, although so far largely unexplored, repertoire of representing Tajik nationness as reflected in historical artefacts and objects of culture: the museum is indeed an active participant in shaping discursive strategies for (re)constructing the nation.

Highlights

In March 2013, the poverty-stricken Central Asian republic of Tajikistan opened a brand-new national museum: a multimillion-dollar structure with nearly 24,500 square metres of exhibition and office space, containing thousands of new exhibits and with a tripling of its staff (Sharifzoda 2014)
We argue, understanding the impact of the current nation-building project requires moving beyond the politicised messages of the president and examining how this project is amplified by academic discourses on history, culture and heritage that provide it with enhanced credibility and cultural depth
We identify three main discursive strategies forconstructing Tajik national identity: (1) the representation of the Tajiks as a transhistorical community through a chronologically linear exposition of the objects on display; (2) implicit claims about the site-specificity of the historical events and epochs displayed in the museum halls by presenting these as having taken place within the territory of what today constitutes Tajikistan; and (3) meaning-creation, endowing the images and objects on display with a meaning that fits into, and reinforces, the grand narrative promoted by the museum

Summary

Introduction

In March 2013, the poverty-stricken Central Asian republic of Tajikistan opened a brand-new national museum: a multimillion-dollar structure with nearly 24,500 square metres of exhibition and office space, containing thousands of new exhibits and with a tripling of its staff (Sharifzoda 2014). We identify three main discursive strategies for (re)constructing Tajik national identity: (1) the representation of the Tajiks as a transhistorical community through a chronologically linear exposition of the objects on display; (2) implicit claims about the site-specificity of the historical events and epochs displayed in the museum halls by presenting these as having taken place within the territory of what today constitutes Tajikistan; and (3) meaning-creation, endowing the images and objects on display with a meaning that fits into, and reinforces, the grand narrative promoted by the museum.

Results

Conclusion