Migration in Museums: Narratives of Diversity in Europe
Open to museum professionals, exhibition curators, researchers from the humanities and social sciences, representatives from immigrant communities and artists.
Date: October 23-25, 2008 - Location: Berlin (in participating museums)
organized by
Network Migration in Europe e. V.,
ICOM Europe (International Council of Museums),
Centre de Documentation sur les Migrations Humaines, Dudelange (Luxemburg)
in cooperation with the following six Berlin-based
museums
Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen/Museum of
Film and Television
Jüdisches Museum Berlin/Jewish Museum Berlin
Jugendmuseum Schöneberg/Youth Museum Schöneberg
Kreuzberg Museum
Museum Neukölln
Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin (Märkisches Museum)/City Museum Berlin
A Call for Conference Participation
Questions of immigration and integration have become key issues in contemporary European intellectual and political debates. In the wake of European societies’ ongoing social and economic incorporation of millions of immigrants and refugees, questions pertaining to the cultural representation of these processes are increasingly emerging. Debates about the interconnectedness of immigration, history and memory, as well as on commemorative practices in diverse societies are gaining momentum. As a consequence, cultural institutions are challenged by rethinking and the possibility of reconceptualizing their work. This is particularly true for (historical) museums and their narratives. Museums in Europe currently encounter a threefold challenge. First, they face a new social structure of visitors: more and more people of immigrant origin have become an important target group as European societies diversify. Second, the predominant, and often prevailing, national frameworks and the national historical narratives used in historical exhibition have been questioned by immigration and the challenge it poses to national master narratives. Third, the history of immigration itself becomes a rising field for historical reflection, research and commemoration, thus diversifying the landscape of historical studies, historical exhibitions and museums.