Taming War - Contemporary display strategies and modes of visitor perception in military history museums

• Applicant: Dr. Christopher Sommer
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History ; Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 426340978

With a plethora of commemorative services, performances and exhibitions the centennial of the First World War found its end, but the effects on the museum landscape remain: a renewed interest in military history produced new strategies of display that aim on establishing military history museums as an environment where the human condition and current geopolitical developments can be discussed. Central to these developments is the literal scale of war: the museum diorama has a surprising comeback. Instead of attempting the impossible - to recreate experiences of war - dioramas are used in combination with new technologies and large scale exhibits to create affective experiential spaces that promote discussion and contemplation of war and violence. At the same time these museums are under constant political pressure and can implement new display strategies only slowly and over a long time due to financial constraints. Nevertheless it is not well understood how visitors perceive these new strategies of display that employ the updated diorama in combination with large scale exhibits and new technology such as augmented reality. In addition the motivation and role of curators, modelers and other actors in these developments is largely unknown. Accordingly it is impossible to say if these new strategies of display are successful without further enquiry. There is always the danger that visitors and curators alike slip back into traditional perceptions and modes of display that simply see the diorama as a pseudo-realistic reconstruction of war experiences. The project wants to elucidate these aspects through qualitative visitor interviews that focus on the perception, effect and affective potential of this new form of exhibiting war. At the same time interviews with curators, designers and modelers are an important aspect of this international research project that spans three countries (England, New Zealand and Germany) and ten museums, ranging from small local institutions to large national museum. All of them use dioramas, miniatures and large scale exhibits in their displays. Few studies of military history museums make use of such an approach that combines qualitative narrative interviews with different museum actors, a gap this project wants to address.Contrary to comparable studies the project not only relies on conventional interviewing techniques such as narrative face-to-face interviews or focus groups, but also embraces non-verbal interviewing techniques such as Personal Meaning Maps, participatory professional wargames and Lego Serious Play sessions to supplement and expand methodologies of museum visitor research. This approach engenders a deeper understanding of the musealization of war and its effects on visitors as well as the actors behind the scenes.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants