The first book-length study of peace museums was published in 2016 by Dr Joyce Apsel. This volume introduces the different approaches of peace museums – from Japan, which has the largest number of sites, to Bradford, UK and Guernica, Spain. Some peace museums and centers emphasize popular peace symbols and figures, others provide alternative narratives about conscientious objection or civil disobedience, and still others are sites of persuasion, challenging the status quo about issues of war, peace, disarmament, and related issues. This welcome introduction to peace museums considers the challenges and opportunities faced by these institutions now and in the future.
Peter van den Dungen writes that Dr Apsel, “has conceived of her study as ‘A Peace Museum Sampler’ which describes and analyzes four museums (two from Europe and one each from the United States and Japan) as well as two peace centers (both in Europe) which can also be regarded as museums. Many other peace museums are briefly introduced along the way. As shown by the extensive bibliography and notes, the author has made use of an impressive number of source materials.”
Introducing Peace Museums is available to order (also as an e-book) via Amazon.com.
