The book examines the creation and evolution of national museums in countries of southern Europe, aiming both to map the landscape and to explore the types of narratives and cultural values that these museums create and disseminate. National museums are studied as established institutions, where material collections and exhibitions are used as means of expression and representation of national values and narratives. The questions raised are why, by whom, when, with what material, with what result, and with what future possibilities are these museums shaped, as well as how they affect the shaping of the broader museum landscape in each country. Significant questions also concern the way in which national museums manage issues of "difficult heritage," as well as how they deal with ideological/political conflicts and tensions.

The publication of the book is part of a large European research program entitled "European National Museums: Policies of Identity, Uses of the Past, and the European Citizen."

Contents:

- Peter Aronsson, "National Museums and Southern Europe: Roles and Dynamics"
- Andromachi Gazi, "National Museums in Greece: Aspects of National Narratives"
- Alexandra Bounia, Theopisti Stylianou-Lambert, "Cypriot National Museums: Ideological Paths in the 19th and 20th Centuries"
- Wendy Shaw, "Museums and Nation in the Turkish Republic: Palimpsests of Centralization"
- Nikolai Vukon, "National Historical Monuments in Bulgaria: Creation, Development, and Representation of the National Past"
- Aleksandar Ignjatovic, Olga Manojlonic Pintar, "Museums and the Creation of National Identity in Serbia"
- Simona Troilo, "Italy and Its Past: National Museums from 1861 to the Present"
- Romina Delia, "National Museums in Malta"
- Dominique Poulot, Felicity Bodenstein, "National Museums in France"
- Jose Maria Lanzarote-Guiral, "The Crown, the Church, and the People: The History of National Museums in Spain"
- Felicity Bodenstein, Jose Maria Lanzarote-Guiral, "Imperial Memories on the Edge of Europe: National Museums in Portugal"