Exhibiting Conflict: History and Politics at the Museo de la Memoria de ANFASEP in Ayacucho, Peru

This essay locates the Museo de la Memoria de ANFASEP in Ayacucho, Peru within transnational discourses of memorialization and the sociopolitical context of post-conflict Peru. I examine ways in which the museum’s representations of recent political violence embrace and contest “official” historical narratives, how visitors engage with and react to the museum, and perspectives on the institution among residents of Ayacucho. I conclude by assessing the museum’s place in relation to ongoing struggles over history and recognition in Peru and within local and national heritage industries, along with the possibilities and limitations of the ANFASEP Museum’s promotion of a “human rights culture” and politics of remembrance.