Peace Museums

Beschreibung

This book is the first comprehensive study of the history, nature, and purposes of peace museums, comprising twenty-one essays by a leading authority in the field. It presents a powerful argument for the need for this new kind of museum that informs and inspires visitors that a world of peace and nonviolence is both necessary and possible. 

Whereas there are numerous museums about war and the armed forces, museums about peacemaking and peacemakers are rare; indeed, the very concept of peace museums is still largely unknown. This is a reflection of the traditional writing and teaching of history which is dominated by narratives of war and warriors, with little or no attention being paid to the history of efforts to prevent and abolish war. Peace museums are ideal instruments to bring the long, fascinating, and vitally important history of peace to life for a large public. Among the essays included are histories of two (forgotten and unknown yet) heroic efforts to prevent World War I, and then World War II, through museums that educated and alerted visitors about the disasters ahead if war was not avoided, and ways to steer a different course following the catastrophe that was the Great War. 

At a time when a barbaric war in Europe, continuing wars in Africa, and ominous threats of war in Asia, are raising the specter of nuclear war and World War III, the need for anti-nuclear bomb and anti-war museums is greater than ever. Such museums are essential for the development of a global culture of peace and nonviolence. The book provides inspiration and hope for everyone interested in efforts to overcome an existential threat to civilization that is wholly man-made.  

This book is the first comprehensive study of the history, nature, and purposes of peace museums, comprising twenty-one essays by a leading authority in the field. It presents a powerful argument for the need for this new kind of museum that informs and inspires visitors that a world of peace and nonviolence is both necessary and possible. 

Whereas there are numerous museums about war and the armed forces, museums about peacemaking and peacemakers are rare; indeed, the very concept of peace museums is still largely unknown. This is a reflection of the traditional writing and teaching of history which is dominated by narratives of war and warriors, with little or no attention being paid to the history of efforts to prevent and abolish war. Peace museums are ideal instruments to bring the long, fascinating, and vitally important history of peace to life for a large public. Among the essays included are histories of two (forgotten and unknown yet) heroic efforts to prevent World War I, and then World War II, through museums that educated and alerted visitors about the disasters ahead if war was not avoided, and ways to steer a different course following the catastrophe that was the Great War. 

At a time when a barbaric war in Europe, continuing wars in Africa, and ominous threats of war in Asia, are raising the specter of nuclear war and World War III, the need for anti-nuclear bomb and anti-war museums is greater than ever. Such museums are essential for the development of a global culture of peace and nonviolence. The book provides inspiration and hope for everyone interested in efforts to overcome an existential threat to civilization that is wholly man-made.  

Autor*in

Peter van den Dungen

Themen in »Peace Museums«

Peace education Anti-war museums Culture of peace Peace heritage Peace history Peace monuments Jan Bloch Bertha von Suttner Ernst Friedrich Vasily Vereshchagin International Network of Museums for Peace Preventing war Reconciliation Anti-atomic bomb museums Public education

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“This book consists of twenty-one essays that span four decades. Each one ‘is introduced by a new, short section with information about the background and context of the article reprinted, offering a justification for its inclusion ... . The book demonstrates van den Dungen’s extraordinarily wide reading, breadth of perspectives, and international networking. ... van den Dungen’s extremely thorough and factual volume gives the story of peace museums and their importance in our culture the prominence they deserve.” (Vappu Taipale, Medicine, Conflict and Survival, Vol. 42 (2), 2026)

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