ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the aftermath of the fire at the Brazilian National Museum, in 2018, delineating the multifaceted and competing public reactions to the event. The tragedy is placed within the context of recent attacks on historical knowledge and public universities. I analyze how the press, in the heat of the moment, conceived the museum’s publics and documented their reactions to the tragedy. Finally, popular forms of expression are explored as devices that are keeping the museum alive in the public conversation.