While scholars recognize both museums and films as sites where historical knowledge and cultural memory are created, the convergence between their methods of constructing the past has only recently been acknowledged. The essays in Exhibiting the German Past examine a range of films, museums, and experiences which blend the two, considering how authentic objects and cinematic techniques are increasingly used in similar ways by both visual media and museums.

This is the first collection to focus on the museum-film connection in German-language culture and the first to approach the issue using the concept of "musealization," a process that, because it engages the cultural destruction wrought by modernization, offers new means of constructing historical knowledge and shaping collective memory within and beyond the museum's walls. Featuring a wide range of valuable case studies, Exhibiting the German Past offers a unique perspective on the developing relationship between museums and visual media.

"Exhibiting the German Past is an important contribution to a developing field that situates museums in relation to audio-visual media. I found this to be a really valuable collection of interesting and informative essays. There are many highlights and the contributors all provide excellent insight into current research in this interdisciplinary field." -- Michelle Henning, School of Arts and Media, University of Brighton

About the Author
Peter M. McIsaac is an associate professor in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures and the Museum Studies Program at the University of Michigan. Gabriele Mueller is an associate professor of German Studies in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at York University.

Reviews

'Illuminating and fully researched essays... Highly Recommended.'

-- B. W. Vetruba * Choice Magazine vol 53:11:2016 *

'This is one of the most cohesive collection of essays I have ever read... The essays all speak to each other, not only through parenthetical references but by engaging with many of the recurring themes... The book does a favor to future scholarship by illuminating how enriching further investigation could be.'

-- Alexandria M. Hill * German Studies Review vol 40:03:2017 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781442649651
Author Peter M. McIsaac
Format Hardback
Page Count 312
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 620g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 163mm * 27mm