Narrating Victimhood Nationalism: Cultural Memory in Polish and South Korean History Museums

This book provides an extensive analysis of the narratives showcased in history museums related to victimhood nationalism in Poland and South Korea. As victimhood nationalism in these countries is often stimulated by certain memory exhibitions with historical context, the author focuses on exploring how museums, through their memory exhibitions of cultural memory, trigger nationalism and stimulate a sense of victimhood in Poland and Korea. This book utilizes Cultural Studies’ interdisciplinary tools, combining textual and contextual analysis, while also providing historical background to enhance the reader’s understanding. Based on this analysis, the author introduces the concept of a memory factory, emphasizing the role of museums not only as spaces for displaying chronological history but as factories that generate cultural memories in large quantities. Through this, the author claims that victimhood nationalism is a consequence but also an inheritance of cultural memory.