Decolonising Representation and Identity: Museums as political actors in post-conflict Cyprus.

The aim of the proposed PhD is to examine the relationship between museums, nationalism, and identity by taking
Cyprus as a case for comparative research. It proposes to explore the relation between museums and identity both as
localised political processes, and as institutional remnants of a divisive colonialism within Cyprus. As such it aims to not
only research their histories and institutional changes, but to also see the museums as spaces of potentiality through a
decolonial lens. The overall goal is thereby twofold: 1) to unravel the uses and constructions of conflicting history and
identity within the museums in the North and South comparatively and 2) to research the affordances of museums when
seen from a decolonial lens that does not essentialise the current Cypriot identities as a strict and conflicting binary. The
Phd will intend to generate the above goals and create a dialogical path within the varied museum narratives in the island
through the following research questions: What exactly is the past and current role of museums as political actors and as
knowledge producers within the binary of identities in the island? And, how can they decolonise their perspectives to
engage with a diverse audience through more inclusive narratives of history and archeology that will assist the peace
building processes in Cyprus? Through the Cyprus case, the research engages with the larger questions of
disessentialising identity and inclusive representation practices.