In recent decades, military history museums have become more inclusive and self-critical in their approach. They aim to serve as a space where the human condition, as it relates to war, can be analysed and understood. However, this is not always the case. In particular, museums in autocratic systems are susceptible to being used to disseminate propaganda and to justify acts of war.

In addition, these museums face a fundamental challenge: war is an experience that is difficult to comprehend for those who have not experienced it first-hand. Its scale is overwhelming, the numbers involved – both material and human – are challenging to grasp. Its execution is chaotic, sources and witnesses unreliable. Death, suffering, trauma cannot be fully represented in a museum setting, only alluded to. Accordingly, displays of war machinery are an attempt to bring visitors within reach of understanding war, while simplifying its complexity at the same time.

War exhibitions attract a diverse range of visitors that go beyond the militaria expert or enthusiast. Increasingly, families and visitors that would usually not visit other types of museums are captivated by large exhibits, individual fates, and narratives of derring-do. Nevertheless, how military history exhibitions are perceived by visitors is not well understood. Given their capacity to disseminate narratives that can influence public opinion and, in turn, electoral decisions, the importance of visitor research in this area cannot be overstated.

This special issue will feature seven articles that elucidate how visitors engage with military history exhibitions. It will consider not only museums in the Global North but also museums in the Global South and Easts as sites of memory production. In order to achieve this objective, we are seeking three additional articles that concentrate on the presentation of war in the latter two regions.

Should you wish to submit an article, please send an abstract of 150 words and a short bio to the editor by 15th of July 2024.

Publication date:

Second quarter of 2025.

Deadline:

The deadline for articles is the 15th of October 2024.

Style and language:

Contributions should use consolidated footnotes and have a length between 6000 and 8000 words.

Articles can be in English or German, depending on your preference.

Inquiries:

Please do not hesitate to contact the editor Dr. Christopher Sommer (University of Oldenburg, Germany) if you have further questions.