National Museums and Nation-building in Europe 1750-2010

Peter Aronsson is a historian and held a chair in Cultural Heritage and Uses of the Past at Linköping University. He has co-edited National Museums: New Studies from around the World (Routledge, 2011) and Performing Nordic Heritage (2013). Gabriella Elgenius is associate professor of Sociology at the University of Gothenburg and associate member of Nuffield College and the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford. She is the author of Symbols of Nations and Nationalism: Celebrating Nationhood (2011).

• Introduction 1. Towards a Typology: the changing roles of Art Museums 2. Cultural History Museums and the making of Citizens and Communities 3. National Museums in between Regionalism, Nationalism and Imperialism, 1750 – 1914 4. Post-imperial Nations: new states, new borders and new unions 1914-2010 5. Conflicted Histories: museums, nations, empires, religions 6. National Museums and National Symbols: searching for the ‘symbolic regimes’ of Europe Conclusion: The National Museum as a Cultural Constitution

"Each essay is thoroughly researched, and empirical data supports many findings. In sum, this book represents a unique contribution to the field of museum studies and is an important addition to the study of European cultural history. Summing Up: Recommended." - A. Verplaetse, Harvard University, CHOICE Review