Industrial and heritage museums around the world serve as important spaces where narratives surrounding oil production are constructed, presented, and contested. These museums offer a platform to investigate the ways in which the discursive politics of oil production are curated, communicated, and interpreted by different actors, ranging from communities to oil companies. My new project will analyse the narratives of progress, power, and national identity associated with oil production and explore how museums portray oil as a symbol of technological advancement, economic prosperity, and national pride. I will be looking at oil museums in Canada, China, Russia, and Scotland.
I am not new to energy politics but have so far struggled to find literature that discusses how museums, whether industrial or heritage-focused, reinforce or challenge dominant narratives about the extractive industries and, particularly, oil extraction. Could you recommend any relevant works?
And if that's your topic, I have more questions for you!
How do museums navigate the balance between catering to different stakeholders, such as local communities, industry representatives, and environmental activists?
What is your favourite example of a museum that has been instrumental in fostering public debate and awareness about the extractive industries?
Hi Anna
I am really not aware of any museums in Australia, for example, that focus on oil. Whereas there are a number that have a focus on coal mining, usually as part of larger exhibitions on regional history or in the interpretation of former coal mine sites. I imagine the same may be true in the UK, so I wonder if it might be productive to widen your scope a little? A lot of the discussion/papers/conferences etc. around museums challenging or supporting dominant narratives recently have focused on colonialism and de-colonising the museum. For example - What does it mean to decolonize a museum? - MuseumNext https://www.museumnext.com/article/what-does-it-mean-to-decolonize-a-museum/
So, you may need to think laterally to find ideas and examples, about how museums are dealing with contested histories and allowing for multiple voices/versions of the past to be explored.
Hope that helps
Sherrie
Sherrie-Lee Evans thank you for the ideas. I particularly appreciate your point about post- and de-colonial approaches to museums and heritage.
Two museums in the UK, both in Scotland, focus on oil: Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry near Edinburg and Aberdeen Maritime Museum.
Sherrie-Lee Evans Since you are familiar with the Australian context, are there any ongoing discussions regarding the sponsorship of museums and other cultural projects by extractive industries in Australia?
Hi Anna, not that I am aware of. However, it may be worth contacting the Regional Museum in the City of Newcastle, NSW. I think they may have received some financial or in-kind support from BHP and the open-cut coal mining industry, which is big in the Hunter Valley. https://newcastlemuseum.com.au/home
Regards
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