War without Pain? Representing Death and Injury in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884) in Chilean Museums

Abstract

This article examines how Chilean museums that exhibit war handles the bodily consequences of war and weapons upon the human body through an investigation of how death and injury in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884) is represented in a museal context. Are Chilean museums able to defetishise historical weapons and other forms of voyeurism? By analysing two permanent galleries and one temporary exhibit, this article argues that Chilean museums are unable to fully abandon traditional representations that treat the war as a romantic and heroic conflict. Death and injury are present in the museums but lack a reflexive and critical perspective.