In this excellent study of guided tours through two Israeli
kibbutz museums, Tamar Katriel comments that for her,
“tracing the construction of Israeli culture is as much
an act of recognition as it is one of deconstruction”
(p. 116). Katriel, a native Israeli Jew, is telling us that
for her, moving through these museums, looking at the exhibits,
and listening to the guides is an emotional experience. The
recognition of which Katriel writes is, one may say, that moment
of connectivity in which one orients oneself to person, space,
and time in ways that evoke (perhaps suddenly) an awareness
that is related to one's very sense of self. The intersection
of person, space, and time creates place and the emotions
associated with it. When these moments of intersection occur
in museums, the practice of taking objects out of their native
contexts and infusing them with the purpose of presence within
exhibits is successful. The purpose of guides in these museums
is to create this sense of place within the people who visit
these sites, to engender recognition within these visitors,
even if they know little or nothing of the representations that
constitute exhibits. Creating the feeling-tones of place is
at the heart of guiding in these museums; and the narration
of representations is the primary medium through which recognition
is evoked.
What Does It Mean to Age in Place as an Older Homeless Woman? Facing an Altered Sense of Place, Belonging, and Identity