Public memory, digital media, and prison narratives at Robben Island

Abstract

In this article, the authors analyze face-to-face and interactive tours of Robben Island, South Africa. Using ethnographic and rhetorical research methods, they consider the ways in which the Island employs themes of triumph over oppression as a form of nation building. In addition, they consider the ways in which museum narratives may limit how visitors think about social justice in contemporary South Africa.

Keywords

• ethnography
• multimedia
• South Africa
• Apartheid
• Critical Museum Studies