Museos e identidad: Caso Paraguayo

Un estado de la cuestión, una cuestión de Estado

Abstract

The article seeks to reveal how the absence of a National Museum of History and Anthropology in Paraguay is a reflection of the conflict in the construction of a national identity emanating from the nation-state. We reflect on the absence of a coherent narrative in the perception and construction of a national identity from said Nation-State that is reflected in the establishment of the Museum institution at the national level.

Why have museums as an institution had problems establishing themselves as builders and transmitters of national narratives in Paraguay? Who have been the agents that construct an identity story from the museum? How is Paraguay proposing emerging responses from its reality with the decolonial movements in the region?

To answer these questions, we propose a plan in three stages: first, we explore the Museums and National Narratives: A Look at the Past and Present, then we analyze the Construction of the Paraguayan Identity and the Museums. To, finally, close with a reflection on Museums and crisis of representation: Challenges for Paraguay in regional dialogue. The methodology used is qualitative, based on a critical content analysis and representative case studies, interviews with curators and participant observation in relevant exhibitions and museum activities.

Paraguayan museums face the challenge of inclusive representation contained in an update and revisionism of their history and ethnohistory.