Mending societal rifts: Argentine museums, spaces of memory and exhibiting difficult histories

In this thesis, exhibit development and interpretive strategies involving "difficult" history in museums and spaces of memory in Argentina are examined, where difficult history is defined as difficult or traumatic events that have shaken a society politically, socially, or economically, and that continue to have ramifications today. Presenting difficult history in spaces of memory offers a way to examine historical and contemporary issues that have not been adequately examined or that may be contested in society. A literature review and case studies of three Argentine spaces of memory are conducted. After a discussion of key themes that emerge, it is concluded that museums and spaces of memory in Argentina recognize their power to engage and empower their public, that they fill a societal void by responding to the needs of their visitors, and that they serve as important agents of social change.