Unlearning the Past: The Politics of Exclusion at the Golan Archaeological Museum in Israel–Palestine

This article examines the Golan Archaeological Museum as a site where archaeology, museum pedagogy, and political power intersect in producing historical knowledge. Established after the Six-Day War and inaugurated shortly after Israel’s 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights, the museum emerged from archaeological practices conducted alongside military occupation and territorial consolidation. Drawing on archival documents, excavation reports, museum display analysis, and theories of visuality and heritage, the article argues that the museum functions as a continuation of wartime practices of erasure through curatorial and pedagogical means. The study shows how archaeological material is selectively transformed into a narrative of continuous Jewish presence in the region, while Islamic and Syrian histories are marginalized or rendered invisible despite their substantial presence in the archaeological record. Through exhibition design, visual framing, and educational mediation, the museum constructs a singular historical narrative that aligns archaeological evidence with contemporary territorial sovereignty. The article contends that the museum operates not only as a cultural institution but also as an agent of political visuality, shaping the boundaries of historical consciousness, democratic representation, and public memory in a contested landscape.