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Museum architecture as communicative infrastructure: nation-building and nation-branding.

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Title: Museum architecture as communicative infrastructure: nation-building and nation-branding.
Authors: Albæk, Erik1 (AUTHOR) eri@sam.sdu.dk
Source: Place Branding & Public Diplomacy. Sep2026, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p411-421. 11p.
Subject Terms: *Place marketing, *Globalization, Museum architecture, Nation building, Symbolic capital, National character, Political communication, Cultural diplomacy
Abstract: This article examines monumental museum architecture as a communicative infrastructure through which states negotiate identity, legitimacy, and visibility across diverse political regimes and historical periods. It develops a framework based on three dimensions—representation (articulating national narratives), instrumentalisation (use in nation-branding and diplomacy), and tension (discrepancies between symbolic projection and political realities)—and applies this to comparative case studies including the nineteenth-century Altes Museum in Berlin, the National Museum of China, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The analysis reveals that despite differing political contexts, these museums deploy similar architectural strategies to address legitimacy challenges, balancing internal nation-building with external image-making. The article highlights how museum architecture functions not merely as aesthetic spectacle but as an active medium of political communication, shaping collective identity and symbolic capital in a globalized cultural economy. [Extracted from the article]
Copyright of Place Branding & Public Diplomacy is the property of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  – Url: https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1057/s41254-026-00434-8
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  Data: Museum architecture as communicative infrastructure: nation-building and nation-branding.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Albæk%2C+Erik%22">Albæk, Erik</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> eri@sam.sdu.dk</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Place+Branding+%26+Public+Diplomacy%22">Place Branding & Public Diplomacy</searchLink>. Sep2026, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p411-421. 11p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Place+marketing%22">Place marketing</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Globalization%22">Globalization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Museum+architecture%22">Museum architecture</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nation+building%22">Nation building</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Symbolic+capital%22">Symbolic capital</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22National+character%22">National character</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Political+communication%22">Political communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+diplomacy%22">Cultural diplomacy</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This article examines monumental museum architecture as a communicative infrastructure through which states negotiate identity, legitimacy, and visibility across diverse political regimes and historical periods. It develops a framework based on three dimensions—representation (articulating national narratives), instrumentalisation (use in nation-branding and diplomacy), and tension (discrepancies between symbolic projection and political realities)—and applies this to comparative case studies including the nineteenth-century Altes Museum in Berlin, the National Museum of China, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The analysis reveals that despite differing political contexts, these museums deploy similar architectural strategies to address legitimacy challenges, balancing internal nation-building with external image-making. The article highlights how museum architecture functions not merely as aesthetic spectacle but as an active medium of political communication, shaping collective identity and symbolic capital in a globalized cultural economy. [Extracted from the article]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Place Branding & Public Diplomacy is the property of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1057/s41254-026-00434-8
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 411
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Place marketing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Globalization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Museum architecture
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nation building
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Symbolic capital
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: National character
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Political communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural diplomacy
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Museum architecture as communicative infrastructure: nation-building and nation-branding.
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            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Text: Sep2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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