Professor Graeme Were's new book 'Museums, Collections and Social Repair in Vietnam' has just been published by Routledge. Drawing on almost ten years of ethnographic fieldwork behind-the-scenes in key museums in north and central Vietnam, the book reveals the often unacknowledged role museums play in the process of social repair in socialist Vietnam. Through a study of a range of highly emotive objects, such as personal possessions, maps and charts, and pieces of plane fuselage, the book traces the way these objects play an instrumental role in supporting families who have suffered loss or injury in the conflicts against the French and Americans. The work highlights the transformational nature of museums in the recovery of the past and how their collections seek to develop positive outcomes for individuals, families and communities, beyond the framework of the nation-state.
New Book on Museums and Social Repair Published by Graeme Were
11 October 2022