Lens to difficult history: Museums of Hansen’s disease in Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan

Abstract

A recent revisit of the history of leprosy in East and Southeast Asia led to the establishment of museums of Hansen’s disease. Given that the history of leprosy has been a touchy subject due to its social stigma and complicated colonial past, these museums become spaces for the curious to comprehend memories of the forgotten past. In this article, we investigate contradictory purposes of reappraising the heritage value of the history of leprosy for present needs. Museum exhibitions in three colonial leprosaria in Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan are examined, specifically focusing on three areas of interpretation: the medical past in a post-colonial present, the difficult life of former patients, and the unsettled present. In contrast with the traditional museum as a place for the repository of glorious national identity, museums of Hansen’s disease offer diverse pathways to new museum culture created by activists, museum visitors, and officials.