Panama is an ethnically diverse country with a recent history of political conflict which makes the representation of historical memory an especially complex and important task for the country's museums. This book studies new museum projects in Panama with the aim of identifying the dominant narratives that are being formed...

Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Transliteration Chapter 1. Introduction Panama as “a melting pot” Political conflict, past and present A short note on methodology Chapter outline Chapter 2. A short history of Panama Pre-Columbian Panama The arrival of the Spanish Independence from Spain and union with Colombia The birth of the Republic of Panama The Dule Revolution, further migrations, and institutionalized racism Growing conflicts in the Canal Zone and the Torrijos Era The 1980s crisis The New Democratic Period Chapter 3. The Reina Torres de Araúz Anthropological Museum (MARTA) Emergence of the Museum of the Panamanian Man The Exhibition From Museum of the Panamanian Man to MARTA Chapter 4. The Panamá Viejo Visitor Centre The Spanish Empire and the foundation of Panamá La Vieja World Heritage and the management of Panamá La Vieja The Exhibition Chapter 5. The Museum of Nationality La Villa de Los Santos Emergence of the museum Current Exhibition Contemporary debates Chapter 6. The Museum of the Kuna Nation The Comarca Kuna Yala Emergence of the Museum and Exhibition Chapter 7. The Museum of the Inter-Oceanic Canal(Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá) San Felipe Emergence of the Museum The Exhibition Chapter 8. The West Indian Museum of Panama El Marañón Emergence of the Museum and Current Exhibition Debates around the Museum: between highlighting and downplaying the African elements in Panamanianness Chapter 9. The 7th Panama Art Biennial at the Museum of Contemporary Art ciudadMULTIPLEcity: urban spaces for play, critique and reflection The 7th Panama Art Biennial The Exhibition Conclusion and epilogue Hybrid management New technologies Works Cited Index

“At a time when issues of nationalism and national identity continue to exercise the minds of policy makers in governments around the globe, museums continue to play a key role in the cultural imagining of the nation. This innovative and timely volume examines the development of the representation of nationhood in a variety of museums and art installations within Panama. As such it makes a most useful and original contribution to the growing literature about the conceptualisation of the nation state within museums.”  ·  Sheila Watson, University of Leicester "Sánchez Law’s work is an important contribution to a much needed debate on Panamanian heritage issues. Her main conclusion, that the exclusion of contemporary conflicts from museums is a way to exclude a segment of the population from participating in the build-up of national identity, is both well argued and suggestive. As a platform for more socially responsible representations in Panamanian museums, this book is of interest not only to museum people but to everyone who is interested in the role of history in society." ·  Anders Johansen, University of Bergen