SLOW CONFLICT ON DISPLAY: ON THE REPRESENTATION OF RUSSOPHONE MINORITIES IN BALTIC HISTORY MUSEUMS

This article examines how major Baltic history museums represent post-WWII Soviet-era migration and the resulting Russophone minorities, conceptualising their relationship with titular ethnic groups as a slow conflict. Focusing on museums in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the study explores how these institutions depict the Russophone other and the narrative strategies they employ. Methodologically, the analysis draws on critical museum studies and social positioning theory to understand the construction of historical subject positions and the interplay of antagonistic, cosmopolitan, and agonistic memory modes. The article is based on fieldwork at the respective museums from 2016 to 2024. While most museums still adopt an antagonistic memory mode, framing Russophones as collective entities within (forced) industrialisation or colonisation narratives, the study’s sample museums as the Estonian National Museum (ENM) and the Vabamu Museum, are not alone in employing more nuanced approaches. These museums incorporate personal narratives and challenge traditional nationalist discourses, though they still struggle with fully integrating the Russophone perspective. The study highlights museums’ complexities and challenges in representing inter-ethnic relations and memory politics in the post-communist Baltic context.