Fabricating a nation the function of national museums in nonracial re-presentation and the national imagination

South Africa provides a contemporary example of a nation struggling to find and cohere a national imagination that is universally agreeable. In their effort to create a sense of self based on unity across difference, South African relies on museums to produce and spread this narrative. The success of the narrative and its adoption rely on decolonizing modern concepts of race, museum, and nation that perpetuated the apartheid agenda. This paper examines national museums in the country for their success in adopting pedagogy and curricula that break down racial structures and their location in the nation. The inquiry finds moments of promise – a coexistence of narratives and refusals to cohere – alongside moments of concern – struggles to remove the deeply rooted race-based structures from society and museums.