IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section B

Abstract

Many difficult historical sites around the world, noticeably, have been transformed into museums in order to promote human rights and democracy. However, this approach also causes controversy in specific contexts, such as in Taiwan.This paper examines the National Human Rights Museum, which is considered as the reification of transitional justice in Taiwan. This museum is officially claimed to be playing a significant role in reshaping the collective memory of the Martial Law period. However, it simplifies the complex historical narrative in a different aspect. I argue, whilst it aligns with the international human rights narrative, the process of musealisation, contextualised by the presence of Taiwan’s intricate cultural politics, may compromise the goals of transitional justice.This phenomenon underscores the unique challenges that the Museum faces – the universal spatiality always demands local adaptation.In Taiwan, the legacy of Martial Law is deeply ingrained and multifaceted, making the historicity a challenge to involve in the dominant discourse.Furthermore, the Museum’s role as a diplomatic state apparatus introduces an additional dimension to its management.Throughout the findings of the case study, I argue, although the transformation of difficult historical sites into human rights museums is a global trend, its adaptation to any locality deserves thorough consideration into its heterogeneity.With the objectives of honoring the past and fulfilling transitional justice goals, how the musealisation fits into a complicated and unique cultural-political atmosphere definitely needs a basic but extensible schema.