Identitarian museums: From visibility to recognition

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the phenomenon of ‹identitarian› museums as spaces of memory and counterpublics. It examines their role in producing a counter-discourse and offering a space to suppressed narratives and identities. By focusing on the Schwules Museum in Berlin (SMU), I explore the metaphor of the ‹museum closet› and its role in public spaces. Using Nancy Fraser’s concept of counterpublics, I argue that these museums not only make suppressed narratives visible but also challenge the foundations of dominant discourses and symbolize a call for recognition rather than just visibility.