Canadaâs brand of nationalism celebrates diversity â so long as it doesnât challenge the unity, authority, or legitimacy of the state. In Exhibiting Nation, Caitlin Gordon-Walker explores this tension between unity and diversity in nationally recognized museums, institutions that must make judgments about what counts as âtoo differentâ in order to celebrate who we are as a people and a nation. Exhibiting Nation takes readers on a journey through three museums, stopping to focus on exhibitions, programs, and features that demonstrate how notions of unity in diversity can shape the way museums engage visitorsâ senses and make use of space. The Royal BC Museumâs Modern History Galleries showcases an exhibit that both reflects and reinforces the politics of unity in diversity, while the Royal Alberta Museumâs Folklife/Cultural Communities program encapsulates the politics of equality and recognition. Finally, the spatial organization of the Royal Ontario Museumâs World Cultures Galleries reflects a particularly Canadian notion of diversity within a universalist or global framework. Although the contradictions that lie at the heart of multicultural nationalism have the potential to constrain political engagement and dialogue, Gordon-Walker concludes that the sensory feasts on display in Canadaâs museums provide a space for citizens to both question and renegotiate the limits of their national vision.
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