Turning Violence's Past and Present into a Museum. A Study of Visitors' Perceptions of Medellin's Museo Casa de la Memoria

Abstract

The aim of this article is to capture how museum narratives of the Colombian armed conflict are perceived in the context of an ongoing conflict. The issue is discussed on the basis of results of an investigation which was carried out with visitors of the Museo Casa de la Memoria in Medellín (questionnaires, observations of visits, interviews with visitors). The article argues that the relation between visitors and the museum narrative is guided by several factors: personal relation with the armed conflict, political opinions and cultural references present in Colombian society, and by successive roles visitors assume during their visit. Finally, it demonstrates visitors' ambiguous relationship with violence: even though they condemn violence, they justify or accept the use of violence to pursue goals they consider just.