Curating conflict-related sexual violence: gender, politics and memory at war museums.

Women's rights activists have described museums and other heritage sites as tools of advocacy to fight the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Museums can sensitize the public to sexual crimes related to war and genocide and, it is hoped, help pursue justice for survivors and prevent...

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Publicado en:Journal of Gender Studies Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 526 - 546
Autores principales: Reeves, Audrey, Gignoux, Hannah
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Apr2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Curating conflict-related sexual violence: gender, politics and memory at war museums.
      aug:
        au:
          Reeves, Audrey
          Gignoux, Hannah
        affil: Department of Political Science and Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical and Cultural Thought (ASPECT), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA
      su:
        United Kingdom
        London (England)
        Washington (D.C.)
        United States
        Imperial War Museum (Great Britain)
        National Museum of American History (U.S.)
        Feminist ethics
        Power (Social sciences)
        Gender-based violence
        National museums
        Museum exhibits
        Military museums
      sug:
        subj:
          Feminist ethics
          Power (Social sciences)
          United Kingdom
          London (England)
          Washington (D.C.)
          United States
          Imperial War Museum (Great Britain)
          National Museum of American History (U.S.)
          Museums
          History and science museums
          Gender-based violence
          National museums
          Museum exhibits
          Military museums
      keyword:
        conflict
        gender
        Museums
        sexual violence
        war
        conflict
        gender
        Museums
        sexual violence
        war
      ab: Women's rights activists have described museums and other heritage sites as tools of advocacy to fight the scourge of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Museums can sensitize the public to sexual crimes related to war and genocide and, it is hoped, help pursue justice for survivors and prevent further violence. For war museums, the curation of CRSV nonetheless poses ethical and political challenges. This study asks, how do leading war museums in the United States and United Kingdom curate the memory of CRSV, including that perpetrated by liberal democracies? It examines war exhibits at the Imperial War Museum (London) and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (Washington, D.C.) and considers strategies, dilemmas, and openings in their attempts at evoking CRSV. IWM privileges verbal narrative and centres CRSV perpetrated by authoritarian states. NMAH presents photos featuring sexual violence perpetrated by military personnel of the United States, a liberal democracy, while also obscuring this violence by not verbally recognizing it. The article argues that each exhibit addresses some feminist concerns while obfuscating others. It concludes by advocating curatorial strategies that invite a visceral empathetic connection with victims/survivors – testimonies, art, and immersive experiences – while balancing conflicting feminist ethical imperatives.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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