Gendering the Nation Online Museum Exhibit

What is the character of a nation? To answer this question, we often turn to museums and other commemorations to discover exactly what it means to be part of a national community. But history is selective; stories are often chosen by the “winners” and any alternative versions are left out. One critically under-developed area is gender history.

 

Historically, museums have been constructed by the elites of society. Usually white middle class men directed what was recorded and featured in commemorative spaces. As a result, the voices of women and other marginalized groups were excluded from the nation’s memory. Museums were devoid of diverse experiences and these singular historical narratives were presented as uncontested truth.

 

Not only are museums selective, but they are also restricted spaces. Not everyone has access to the physical location, and even fewer people have the tools to interpret the information. Since the dawn of the digital age, there has been considerable effort to open the world of history to the masses. Online exhibits are critical forums for presenting stories, and especially those histories that are normally left out of traditional museums.

 

This online collection recognizes the long silence of gendered stories. Following in the footsteps of new scholarship and contemporary museum practices, this website addresses previously under-studied areas of history. Students from Queen’s University gathered information, images, and artifacts from existing collections to feature in an online format. The pages are organized into three “rooms” corresponding to the broad themes identified by the students. As a collection, these pages demonstrate how the historical experiences of women and men are influenced by both their nation and gender – influential and persuasive ideas that change over time and across place.

The Rooms...

War brings about change like no other force. Norms are set aside as people work to manage the emergency situation they have been thrust into. Women during wartime have never been passive bystanders; rather, they use war to redefine gender roles.