Abstract:
In New Zealand and Singapore, national identity is inextricably linked to the processes of
colonisation, decolonisation and the gaining of political independence. Unlike highlytheorized
accounts of national identity, this study provides a deeper understanding of the
ways in which it is actually developed, materialised and negotiated in 'real world'
examples through history exhibitions at Te Papa and the National Museum of Singapore.
The research provides a fresh perspective on recent displays of colonial history and how
they shape and are shaped by the concerns of present-day nation-building particularly in
former British colonies including Asia. It seeks to move beyond the existing literature
which has been concerned with deconstructing national identity as a cultural construct to
consider the ongoing process of updating, remaking and maintaining identity through
museum display.
Using a qualitative approach, this dissertation incorporates archival research, interviews,
theoretical and historical literature, and visual analysis of exhibitions to contextualise and
analyse the similarities and differences in the history exhibitions mounted at these two
recently redeveloped museums. The Day 1 history exhibitions at Te Papa, opened in 1998,
form the core of this study, while the chapter on Singapore provides an added layer of
comparative depth, helping to broaden the picture of national museums and nationalism
more generally.
This research explores how national museums negotiate, on the one hand, the material
and intellectual legacy of previous inherited definitions of 'the nation', while on the other
responding to the contemporary expectations which arise from present-day
conceptualizations of nations and national identity. My findings suggest that the
construction of national identity is not independent from socio-political contexts, and that
the political ideals of multiculturalism and biculturalism helped to foster inclusive and
politically harmonious visions of national identity in the National Museum of Singapore
and Te Papa. The conclusion argues that national museums' participation in the public
articulation and definition of a collective idea of 'the nation' is unstable, contradictory
and contested but nonetheless worthy of serious academic research.
