ABSTRACT

All successful nation-states invent traditions in order to establish group cohesion, legitimize institutions and authority, and inculcate particular values and behaviours in society (Hobsbawm and Ranger 1983; Bell 2001). Often the most useful tool at a state’s disposal is that of the national museum, as Levitt notes, “Ever since the leaders of the new French Republic opened the doors of the Louvre to the general public, cultural institutions have played starring roles in the drama of nation building” (2012: 29).