ABSTRACT
The branch of Wales's national museum, St Fagans: National History Museum, which is the subject of this chapter, clearly illustrates the difficulties and offers another opportunity to examine the processes involved in the representation of national identities within national museums in Wales. This museum started life as the 'Welsh Folk Museum' but in 1995 became the 'Museum of Welsh Life'. At the time of conducting the research for this chapter the museum was still known by that name; it only received its newest name in late 2005. It examines the claim that folk museums are conservative in their politics and that they suffer from amnesia over divisions within national stories. The chapter presents how the museological approach adopted has shaped the way that national identities, cultures and histories are represented.
