Två öars berättelser: En komparativ analys av Gotlands och Ölands historiska identiteter i museiutställningar

Sammanfattning

The aim of this study is to examine how museum exhibitions construct regional historical identities. The two case studies are the exhibitions 1361 – Striden om Gotland at Gotlands museum and Borgarnas Ö at Kalmar läns museum. The study is using a theoretical framework based on Jerome Bruner’s narrative theory, Emilie Sitzia’s theory on immersive and discursive exhibitions and Jane Bennet’s theory on thing power and assemblage. The study has used an autoethnographic method based on Emma Waterton and Jason Dittmer. The analysis show that in the exhibition 1361 – Striden om Gotland, a narrative of farmers bravery but also of a trauma that still live on with the people of the island is presented. It does so with vivid descriptions of historical events of the battle of 1361, creating immersive environments and by letting the objects partake in the narrative. The analysis of the exhibition Borgarnas ö show that it presents a narrative of life for people on the island in the iron age, as well as their challenges and connect them to modern times. The exhibition uses senses for immersive elements and use the objects to also tell the narrative. The study shows that the museums are both using narrative strategies and immersive elements in their museum texts, either to visually describe an historic setting or to invite the museum visitors to use their imagination. They are both using the regions history to create a regional historical identity. The study also shows that material elements, such as the archaeological findings, also create the narrative of the exhibitions to create a regional historical identity either as elements of creating an immersive environment or as catalysts to let the museum visitor activate their imagination. The study also shows that the museum use different senses in the exhibitions to drive the narrative of the exhibitions and to create immersive elements for the museum visitors. This is a two-year master’s thesis in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies.