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From Royal to National: the changing face of the National Museum of Scotland
Conference paper   Open access   Peer reviewed

From Royal to National: the changing face of the National Museum of Scotland

Amy Clarke
Great Narratives of the Past: Traditions and Revisions in National Museums, pp.169-178
European National Museums (EuNaMus): Identity Politics, the Uses of the Past and the European Citizen, 2011 (Paris, France, 21-Nov-2011–22-Nov-2011)
Linkoping University Electronic Press
2012
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Abstract

Architecture Historical Studies Archaeology National Museum of Scotland Royal Museum of Scotland enlightenment cultural renaissance independence
Since devolution in 1997 Scotland has been a nation increasingly conscious of its national brand. From the Year of Homecoming in 2009 to the opening of sites such as the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum (2011) and the Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre (2007), Scotland has utilized its long history and widespread diaspora to stimulate its tourism and business sectors and promote its cultural identity on a global scale. The Scottish government has undertaken several international partnerships in the fields of culture, education and commerce, and through its rhetoric and policy the government appears to be encouraging a global perception of Scotland as a nation in the throes of a 'New Enlightenment.' The National Museum of Scotland (and former Royal Museum) has benefited from this alleged cultural renaissance, having reopened this July following its second renovation in less than 15 years. Comprised of two separate buildings, the former Royal Museum (1854) and the Museum of Scotland (1998), the National Museum of Scotland's most recent construction program restored and modernised the Royal Museum structure, which had originally been built as an Industrial Museum before receiving Royal status in 1904. The renovation returned the Museum to its original 19th century appearance but added installations such as a four-storey 'Window on the World' structure that uses 850 artefacts to showcase "where the cultures of Scotland and the world meet." Given the fact that the Royal Museum's origins were in part a testament to Scotland's position in the United Kingdom and British Empire, the current Museum's new form communicates much about the evolution of Scotland's national identity and its relationship with the world. The 1998 and 2011 construction programs for the National Museum of Scotland are clear examples of Billig's suggestion that "national histories are continually being re-written, and the re-writing reflects current balances of hegemony." Scotland's evolution from 19th century industrial powerhouse of the British Empire to the increasingly independent 'Enlightened' nation of today has been echoed by the ever-changing form of its national Museum. This paper will explore the evolution of the National Museum of Scotland from its origins as an Industrial Museum to its modern conception, paying particular attention to the parallels between events in Scotland's national history and changes to the Museum's format. The recent renovation will be of specific focus, with an analysis of the exhibition content, marketing campaigns and architectural changes being cross-referenced against recent Scottish government policies, plans and rhetoric. This paper will ultimately seek to show that the National Museum of Scotland fulfils an alternate role as an historic artefact in and of itself, as much a victim of Scotland's evolving identity as the historic relics it houses.

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