WWW.IPPR.

ORG

StoriesOldandNew
MigrationandidentityintheUK
heritagesector
AreportfortheMigrationMuseumWorkingGroup

ByMaryStevens

July2009
©ippr2009

InstituteforPublicPolicyResearch
Challengingideas– Changingpolicy
2 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Contents
Aboutippr ............................................................................................................................. 3
AbouttheMigrationMuseumWorkingGroup ..................................................................... 3
Abouttheauthor................................................................................................................... 4
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... 4
1.AForgetfulNation?Changingtheconsensusonmigration............................................. 5
2.Whyshouldmigrationberepresentedintheheritagesector?..........................................8
3.ExistingmigrationinitiativesintheUKheritagesector.................................................. 13
4.Theinternationalcontext ................................................................................................ 27
5.Theinternationalexperience:implicationsfortheUK.................................................... 34
Appendix1.Keypublicationstohaveaddressedculturaldiversityintheheritagesector
inthelastdecade ................................................................................................................ 36
Appendix2.Summarytableofinternationalheritageinitiatives........................................ 39
References ........................................................................................................................... 41
3 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Aboutippr
TheInstituteforPublicPolicyResearch(ippr)istheUK’sleadingprogressivethinktank,
producingcutting-edgeresearchandinnovativepolicyideasforajust,democraticand
sustainableworld.
Since1988,wehavebeenattheforefrontofprogressivedebateandpolicymakinginthe
UK.Throughourindependentresearchandanalysiswedefinenewagendasforchangeand
providepracticalsolutionstochallengesacrossthefullrangeofpublicpolicyissues.
WithofficesinbothLondonandNewcastle,weensureouroutlookisasbroad-basedas
possible,whileourinternationalandmigrationteamsandclimatechangeprogrammeextend
ourpartnershipsandinfluencebeyondtheUK,givingusatrulyworld-classreputationfor
highqualityresearch.
ippr,30-32SouthamptonStreet,LondonWC2E7RA.Tel:+44(0)2074706100E:info@ippr.org
www.ippr.org.RegisteredCharityNo.800065

ThispaperwasfirstpublishedinJuly2009.©ippr2009

AbouttheMigrationMuseumWorkingGroup
TheMigrationMuseumWorkingGroupwasformedinlate2006afterameetingheldatthe
InstituteforPublicPolicyResearch(ippr)todiscusswhatmorecouldbedonetorepresent
migrationissueswithintheUKmuseumandheritagesector.Itconsistsofthefollowing
peoplewhoshareaninterestintheseissuesandapassionforseeingmigrationmore
appropriatelyrepresentedinculturallifeintheUK:
• BarbaraRoche(Chair),formerUKMinisterforImmigration
• ZeldaBaveystock,NewcastleUniversity
• DrGarethGriffiths,DirectorofBritishEmpireandCommonwealthMuseum
• DrJillRutter,ippr
• DrDhananjayanSriskandarajah,formerlyippr,nowDirectoroftheRoyal
CommonwealthSociety
• RatanVaswani,MuseumsAssociation
• IanWilson,NationalTrust
• RobertWinder,authorofBloodyForeigners
Membersoftheworkinggroupserveasprivateindividualsanddonotrepresentany
organisations.
TheworkinggroupwassupportedbytheBaringFoundation,NationalTrustandtheStone
AshdownTrustwhosebackingallowedthecommissioningofindependentresearchonwhat
alreadyexistsintermsofrepresentingmigrationwithintheUKmuseumandheritagesector,
andonwhatmorecouldbedone.
ThisresearchwasconductedbyDrMaryStevens,anexpertinthisfield.HerPhDthesisison
theFrenchnationalmuseumofimmigration(Re-memberingtheNation:theProjectforthe
Citénationaledel’histoiredel’immigration,UniversityofLondon,2008)andsheiscurrently
apost-doctoralresearchassociateintheSchoolofLibrary,ArchiveandInformationStudies
atUniversityCollegeLondon.DrStevens’sreport,publishedasacompaniontothis
discussionpaper,looksatthemanyandvariouswaysthatmuseumsandotherinstitutionsin
4 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

theUKandaroundtheworldhavecoveredmigration.Itisanexcellentcontributiontothe
debateonthemeritsofmuseumsofmigration.Theworkinggrouphasdrawnonsomeof
herideas.Anditisourhopethatwemaybeabletocommissionmoreresearchofthisnature
inthefuture.
ipprhasservedasthehubfortheworkinggroup.Thisreporthasalsobeendesignedand
publishedbyippr,andtheworkinggroupisparticularlygratefultoGeorginaKyriacoufor
overseeingthisprocess.

Abouttheauthor
DrMaryStevensiscurrentlyapost-doctoralresearchassociateintheDepartmentof
InformationStudiesatUniversityCollegeLondon.HerPhDthesisconcernstheFrench
nationalmuseumofimmigration(Re-memberingtheNation:theProjectfortheCité
nationaledel’histoiredel’immigration,UniversityofLondon,2008).

Acknowledgements
Theauthorwouldparticularlyliketoacknowledgethesupportgiventoherinwritingthis
reportbyZeldaBaveystock,EllenChapmanandJillRutter.ZeldaBaveystockdraftedthe
sectiononTheAmericasandAustraliaandNewZealand,withhelpfromEllenChapman.Jill
Rutterdraftedthe'educationalneed'section.
ThesectionontheNetherlandswasbasedinlargepartonmaterialsubmittedtotheauthor
byRenéeKistemaker,fromtheCulturalHeritageofMinorities(CultureelErfgoed
Minderheden)project.
Theauthoralsowishestothankthefollowingpeoplewhowereinterviewedaspartofher
research:
BarbaraRoche;JaniceCheddie,HeritageDiversityTaskForce;SusieSymes,Chairofthe
Trustees,19PrinceletStreet;DavidFeldman,SchoolofHistory,ClassicsandArchaeology
Birkbeck,UniversityofLondon;GarethGriffiths,Director,BritishEmpireandCommonwealth
Museum;DonaldHenson,HeadofEducationandOutreach,CouncilforBritishArchaeology;
JohnIveson,MuseumsandTourismManager,DoverMuseums;DavidMiles,Chief
Archaeologist,EnglishHeritage;JaneSarre(Director)andthestaffoftheHackneyMuseum,
HackneyMuseum;KarenBrookfield,DirectorofPolicy,HeritageLotteryFund;Rickie
Burman,Director,JewishMuseumLondon;JonNewman,ArchivesManager,Lambeth
Archives;MaureenRoberts,InterpretationOfficer,LondonMetropolitanArchives&Trustee,
BlackCulturalArchives;SueWilkinson,DeputyChiefExecutive,MLA;EmilyCandler,
MuseumofBritishHistoryProject,MLA;RatanVaswani,HeadofEvents,Museums
Association;RuthClarke,CommunityLearningManagerforLondonProperties,AnneFinnie,
DirectorofCommunity,Learning&Volunteering,AnnaRussell,(BirminghamProperty
Manager,NationalTrust;RuthWilliams,WalesExternalAffairsManager/RheolwrMaterion
AllanolCymru,NationalTrust(Wales);IanWilson,AreaManagerforLondon,NationalTrust;
TristramHunt,DepartmentofHistory,QueenMary,UniversityofLondon;EsmePeach,
RefugeeAwarenessProject,RefugeeAction;MichelynnLaflèche,Director,RunnymedeTrust;
DavidTaylor,ProjectDevelopmentManager,ScottishEmigrationMuseum;KatePahl,School
ofEducation,UniversityofSheffield;RichardAxelby,Research,MLAMuseumofBritish
HistoryProject;KyleaLittle,KeeperofContemporaryCollecting,Tyne&WearMuseums;
EithneNightingale,HeadofAccess,SocialInclusionandCommunityDevelopment,Victoria
&AlbertMuseum.
5 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

1.Aforgetfulnation?Changingtheconsensusonmigration
ThehistoryofmigrationtoandfromtheBritishIslesisasoldastheislandsthemselves.
However,thecommonunderstandingofthishistoryaspasseddownthroughtheeducation
systemaswellasbymuseums,archivesandotherheritagesites,hasoftenglossedoveror
ignoredthiscrucialaspectofourislandstory.Thereareunderstandablehistoricalreasonsfor
this:attimes,thevisionofBritainasatightly-bondedself-sufficientplacehasbeen
instrumentalinsecuringourcommondefence.Theperiodoftheemergenceofnational
museumsinEuropecoincidedwiththeageofRomanticnationalism,andlater,theGreat
Powerstrugglesoftheageofempire.Incapturingspecificnational‘genius’,thesenew
institutionsdefinedthenationinoppositionbothtorivalsontheothersideoftheEnglish
Channeland‘lessadvanced’peoplesacrosstheglobeandactedtogenerateandreinforcea
politicallyusefulsenseofculturalandracialsuperiority(Kaplan1994,Simpson2001).
Historiesofmigration,diasporaandculturalexchangedidnotfitthisvisionofBritain,andso
theyweresilenced.Yet,forexample,therewereAfricanspresentinBritainwiththeRoman
armylongbeforeanyofthepeopleswehavetraditionallybeenencouragedtothinkofas
‘English’(suchastheSaxons)arrived,andmanywillhavesettled(Fryer1984).
Thecomposite,plural,constantlyevolvingnatureofthepopulationoftheBritishIslesis
describedbyMarikaSherwood,founderoftheBlackandAsianStudiesAssociation(BASA)
andSeniorResearchFellowattheInstituteofCommonwealthStudiesinarecentarticleon
Britishidentityforthe‘Whodowethinkweare?’website.1 Asshepointsout,someonewho
saystheyare‘English’or‘British’couldhaveancestorswhowereCelts,apeopleoriginally
fromtheRussiansteppesorPicts,whooriginatedfromtheBlackSearegion.Afterthe
Romansleft,Saxons,AnglesandJutesinvadedfromtheareathatistodayGermany.She
writesoftheDanishconquestsintheeleventhcentury,followedbytheNormans,the
Flemish,PlantagenetsfromAnjou,andsoon,continuingthisaccountuptothepresentday
beforeconcludingwiththeprovocativequestion:‘whichoftheseancestriesdoyouclaim
whenyousayyouare“British”?’(Sherwood2008).
Itdoesnottakelongtorealisethatwhileourislandstatusmayhaveencouragedtheideaof
the‘fortressbuiltbyNature’,populatedbyasingle‘happybreedofmen’,forthevast
majorityofourhistorytheseahasactedlessasabarrierandmoreasahighwayanda
bridge:‘theinhabitantsofthesemaritimecrossroadscouldreachoutintotheworldandthe
worldcouldcometothem’(Miles2005:26).InthewordsofaformerCultureMinister,
MargaretHodge,‘wehavetounderstandthattheessenceofourculturalidentityisnot
fixedorimmutable–wehavealwaysbeenanopensociety,traditionalimportersand
exportersoftalentandideas’(Hodge2008).Andtalentandideasrarelytravelalone,they
arebornebypeople.‘Outsiders’havebeenbehindmanyofthemostsignificantinnovations
intechnologyandsocietyinBritain(Woodetal 2006).
Yetunlikemanyothercountriesmigrationisnotpartofournationalmythology;rarelydowe
thinkofourselvesasanationofmigrants,howevermisguidedandcontradictorytheconcept
ofthe‘true-bornEnglishman’maybe,asDanielDefoepointedoutin1700(Winder2004:
12).Migrationhistoryalsoremainsamarginaltopicforhistoricalresearch:ashistoriansKathy
BurrellandPanikosPanayihavehighlighted,‘immigrationremainsneglectedinbothnational
historyandpublicmemory’(BurrellandPanayi2006:16).Theconsequenceofourcollective
forgetfulnesshasbeentoopenupaspaceforthestigmatisationofmorerecentmigrantsas

1.www.wdwtwa.org.uk/whatiswdwtwa.TheprojectfollowstherecentCurriculumReviewonDiversity
andCitizenship,undertakenbySirKeithAjegbo.WhoDoWeThinkWeAre?isledbytheRoyal
GeographicalSociety(withtheInstituteofBritishGeographers),HistoricalAssociationandCitizenship
ConsultantPaulaKitchingandsupportedbytheDepartmentforChildren,SchoolsandFamilies.
6 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

athreat,particularlythosewhose‘race’orethnicitymadetheirdifferencesvisible:athreatto
lawandorder,tojobsecurityandabovealltosomeill-definedbutwidelyheldnotionof
‘Britishness’.Ifanything,attitudestowardsimmigrationhavehardenedinrecentyearswith
morepeoplebelieving,perversely,thatimmigration‘closesBritainofftonewideasand
cultures’(BBC2004).
AsNickMerriman,formerlyacuratorattheMuseumofLondon(andnowtheDirectorof
theManchesterMuseum)notedwhenconductingtheresearchfortheseminal‘Peoplingof
London’exhibitionin1993:
‘Perusaloftherhetoricofracistgroupsmadeitclearthatmuchoftheir
messagewaspredicatedonthenotionthat–inBritainatleast–there
hadbeenahomogeneouswhitepopulationpriorto1945,bound
togetherbyacommonhistoryandsetofvalues,andthatafter1945
thishomogeneityhadbeenoverlainbytheintroductionof–intheir
terms–aliennon-whitepopulationswithdifferenthistories,valuesand
culturalbackgroundswhodidnotbelongtoBritainandwerethe
sourceofmanyofthenation’scurrentwoes.’(Merriman1997:121)
Atthattimetheheritagesectordidlittletodispelthesemyths;nowhereintheMuseumof
London’sdisplayswasthereevidenceofthemedievalJewishcommunity(anditssubsequent
expulsionandreturn),thecontinuousblackpresencesincethesixteenthcentury,the
establishmentofAsiancommunitiessincetheseventeenthcenturyandthesignificant
populationsofChinese,ItalianandGermanorigininthenineteenthcentury.Thecultural
heritageoftravellercommunities,thequintessentialmigrants,isalsoinvariablyabsentfrom
therecords.
Thesegapsmatter.Theymatterbecausetheyhavetheeffectoffosteringanexclusive,
hierarchicalunderstandingofBritishidentity,inwhichasenseofentitlementisfeltbymany
toderivefromnotionsaboutthelengthoftimeaparticulargroupmayhavebeenpresentin
theseislands,notionsthatareoftenalignedwithrace.Theymattertooinaglobalisedworld,
wherethereisagrowingneedforcollectivenarrativesthatprovideahistoricalframeworkfor
today’sinterconnectednessandhelpustounderstandourplaceintheworld(Urry1996).To
thinkabouttheBritishhistoryofimmigrationandemigrationistoengageprofoundlywith
justwhatitmeanstobeBritish.Itisnottotackanewstoryontoanestablishedsetof
agreedaccounts.Rather,itistorisetoProfessorStuartHall’schallengeto‘re-definethe
nation’andre-imagine‘Britishness’itself‘inamoreprofoundlyinclusivemanner’(Hall1999:
10).
Thisdoesnotmeanfindingwaystogrudginglyacknowledgethatrecentarrivalscanbe
Britishtoo;itmeanslearningtothinkofeventhemostdeeply-rootedinhabitantsas,once,
newarrivalsthemselves.Theideaofa‘profoundlyinclusive’heritagehasoftenbeentakenas
synonymouswith(insomequartersincreasinglymaligned)policiesofmulticulturalism.But
thisistomisunderstandtheopportunityoursharedheritageofmigrationrepresents;
pluralising,butaboveallcomplicating,‘ourislandstory’is,asanotherformerCulture
MinisterDavidLammyhaspointedout,awayofstakingoutmore,notless,commonground
betweenthecontemporaryinhabitantsoftheseislands(Lammy2005).
InadvocatingaconceptualshiftfromtheideaofBritainasislandfortresstoBritainasa
globalcrossroadsouraimisnottosubstituteonemythforanother.Norisittosuggestthat
allmigrationsacrossallhistoricalperiodsarereadilyorusefullycomparable.Therehavebeen
periodsofgreaterpopulationstasis,justastherehavebeenperiodsofmoreflux.Theyears
sincethefalloftheBerlinWallhaveseenparticularlyhighlevelsofmovementacross
Europe’sborders,bothinternalandexternal(Feldman2008);indeeditisthepressingneed
toadaptouroutmodedconceptsofcollectivebelongingbettertoaccommodatethese
phenomenathatliesbehindthedesiretorevisitthedominanthistoricalnarrative.
7 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

However,theintentionremainstoopenupBritain’shistorytoawiderrangeofinfluences
andinterpretations,nottodictateaneworthodoxy.Ourintrospective‘islandstory’was
monolithicandoppressiveofdifference;ouroutward-looking‘islandstories’shouldbe
anythingbut.Andtheyshouldtroublenotionsof‘Britishness’,includingthenewerrevised
versions,justasmuchastheyservetoshapethem.Heritage,likemigration,isprocess not
product,the‘locusandinstrumentofundoingandredoinghistory’(Prakash2004:208),not
itsimmutablematerialexpression.
8 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

2.Whyshouldmigrationberepresentedintheheritagesector?
Evenifweacceptthepremisethatmigrationdeservestoplayagreaterroleinthenational
imagination,wemightneverthelessaskwhatitisabouttheheritagesectorthatequipsitto
achievethisoutcome.WhilemuseumandgalleryattendanceintheUKisrelativelyhigh
(41.5percentofalladultsattendedamuseumoragalleryin2006–7)manyadultsnever
enterone(71.7percentofadultsinthe‘lowsocio-economic’prioritygroupdidnotvisita
museumorgalleryinthesameyear)(Museums,LibrariesandArchivesCouncil[MLA]2008).
However,museums,archivesandheritagesiteshaveanimpactthatextendsbeyondthe
changestheycanmaketothelivesofindividualvisitors.Theysendoutstrongsignalsabout
whatwevalueasanation.Theycanhelpfosterasenseofbelonging.Theyarealso,
increasingly,spacesfordebate.Andtheydoallthesethingsnotbyreinventingthemselvesas
agentsofsocialpolicybutbyreturningtotheircoreactivities:collectingandinterpretingthe
materialtracesofourpast.

Heritageasmirror
Theheritagesectorcarriesgreatsymbolicweight.Assuchitisapowerfulsourceofcultural
meanings.Thechoiceswemakeindevelopingcollections,or,foranorganisationlikethe
NationalTrust,inacquiringsites,determinewhoandwhatweseeasbelongingtoour
nationalcommunityandreflectingourvalues(Hall1999).Inrecentyearswehaveseenhow
anexpandingunderstandingofculturalheritagehasimpactedontheprioritiesofheritage
organisations;theideathattheNationalTrustmightacquirepropertiessuchasthe
nineteenthcenturyBack-to-BacksinBirminghamorthechildhoodhomeofJohnLennonin
Liverpoolwouldhavebeenunthinkablenotsolongagosincepopularandworking-class
culturedidnotusetobeconsidered‘culture’atall.Itfollowsthat,likepopularcultureand
working-classlives,ourmigrationstoriesdeserveamoreprominentplaceinournational
self-understandingandneedtobemorevisibleinourheritageinstitutions.
Moreover,ourcollectivefailuretoengageinaninformedwaywithcontemporarymigration
patternsderivesfromourignoranceaboutthisaspectofourhistory,theproductofa
carefullyorchestratedamnesia.Whatisneededtoredressthisisaformof‘memorywork’,a
newarchaeologyofourpasttorevealburiedmeanings.Becauseoftherichnessoftheir
collections,museums,archivesandheritagesitesareideallyplacedtocarryoutthiswork.As
themuseumanthropologistAnthonySheltonhasexplained,‘Inasocietythathas
consistentlyfailedtocometotermswithitshistoricalrelationshipwithlessindustrialized
societiesandthenatureofitsownculturalidentityinanewlyalignedEurope,museumsare
inauniquepositiontoencouragepublicdebateaboutsuchissuessincetheyarethe
custodiansofthefragmentaryevidencethatprovidesthegreatestcontradictionsto
prejudicedmisconception’(citedinCoxall1997:115).Itisthesefragmentsthatneedtobe
unearthedandheldupinthemirrorforalltosee.
Undertakingmoreofthisworkmayrepresentashiftforsomeheritageorganisations,but
inthelongrunnotdoingsorepresentsthegreaterrisk.Forwhenagrouporindividual’s
heritageisignoredorovershadowedbythedominantnarratives–inotherwords,when
theycannotseethemselvesreflectedanywhereinthemirror–thelong-termoutcome
canbe‘disaffection,disillusionmentanddisenfranchisement’(MCAAH2005:10).The
absenceofcertaingroupsfrom‘nationalculturalinstitutions’and‘theofficialviewof
history’is‘significant’:‘itislikebeingrubbedoutofhistory’(Woodetal 2006:34).
Ratherthanfosteringamorecohesivesociety,iftheheritagesectorcontinuestounder-
representmigrationhistoriesitmayfinditiscontributingunwittinglytoits
fragmentation.
AnEnglishHeritage-commissionedMORIpollin2000foundthat75percentoftheblack
communityand63percentoftheAsiancommunitythoughtthattheywere
underrepresentedinthenation’sheritage;somewhatsurprisingly45percentofthewhite
9 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

communityagreedwiththem(MORI2000).2 Muchhasbeendoneevensincethesesurveys
wereconductedbutinshort,thereiswidespreadpublicsupportformoreworkinthisarea
andthenervousnessatmanagementlevelthatmanymuseumandheritageprofessionals
reportaboutconductingmoreworkofthistypewouldnotappeartobejustified.

Heritageasbroker
Aboveandbeyonditssymbolicvalue,thevalueoftheheritagesectorliesinitsabilityto
provide‘thesafe,sharedspacesinwhichassumptionscanbechallenged,wheredifficult
issuescanbeaddressed,wherewecantesttheboundaries,butintheprocessmovetowards
abettersenseofourselves’(Hodge2008).Thisisimportant:‘Inthiseraofpluralidentities,
weneedciviltimesandcivilspacesmorethanever,fortheseareessentialtothedemocratic
processbywhichindividualsandgroupscometogethertodiscuss,debateandnegotiatethe
pastand,throughthisprocess,definethefuture’(Gillis1994:20).Ascivilspaces,heritage
siteshavethepotentialtohostconversationsaroundcontentiousissues,includingmigration.
At19PrinceletStreet,theindependentmuseumofimmigrationanddiversityintheEastEnd
ofLondon,asitespecificinstallationbySuzanaTamamovicusesthefabricofthebuildingto
explorethefears,anxieties,longingsanddesiresofrefugees.Thisworkoftenprovokes
thoughtful,impassionedandsometimesangryresponsesfromvisitorswhichvolunteersare
encouragedtochannelintoaconstructiveexchangeofideas,oftenbringingothervisitors
intothediscussion.Heritage,inshort,hasthepotentialtobuildonmaterialculturetobroker
amorenuanced,complexreadingofthepastand,byextension,ofthepresent.
Onceagain,stimulatingcriticaldebateisnotanadd-ontocoreactivities:itderivesfromthe
verynatureofthesitesandcollectionswhosegreatestassetistheiravailabilityformultiple
interpretations.Forexample,adocumentoranartefactrelatingtothefoundingofBarings
BankcouldbeusedtotellthestoryoftheroleofProtestantimmigrantsandrefugeesin
establishingmanyofthegreatinstitutionsoftheCityofLondon.Alternatively,itcouldalso
beusedtostimulatereflectiononthelegacyoftheslavetradesincethebankwasfounded
largelyonFrancisBaring’sprofitsfromthisactivity.Theaimofthisexampleisnottopoint
thefinger,merelytoprovideasimpleillustrationofthewaysinwhichthedocumentaryand
materialcultureofthepastcanbeusedtodrawoutthecomplexitiesofourmigration
heritage.Britain’smigrationhistory,withitscontinualinterweavingofnarrativesof
immigration,emigrationandforcedmigration,sometimeseveninthecourseofasingle
individual’sorfamily’slife,isunusuallycomplex.Heritagesites,asplaceswherethese
threadscanbeuntangled,examinedandrewound,canplayauniqueroleinhelpingusasa
nationtocometotermswiththisunstableandintricatepast.

Towardsheritagediversity
Inrecognitionbothoftheheritagesector’sresponsibilitytoservesocietyasawhole
(includingpreviouslyunder-representedaudiences,suchascommunitiesofAfricanandAsian
heritage)andtheuniqueroleitcanplayinfosteringinterculturaldialogue,ithasinrecent
yearsengagedatlengthwithculturaldiversityandhowbesttorepresentit.Inthisreportwe
taketheviewthat‘culturaldiversity’isonlyoneaspectofamuchbiggernationalpicture
thatshouldincludemanycategoriesofindividualswhodonotnecessarilyfeelthemselvesto
beconcernedbythe‘culturaldiversity’agenda.Nevertheless,itisusefulbrieflytoreview
thisliterature,sinceitsfindingsinformthethinkingofthisreport.Thedebateaboutthe
representationandpresenceinmuseumsandgalleriesofculturallydiverseartsandartists
waskickedoffin1976byNaseemKhan’sinfluentialandwide-reachingstudyTheArts
BritainIgnores(seeKhan2005).Appendix1listssomeofthekeypublicationsthathave

2.By2003,overall72percentofpeoplethoughtthatmoreshouldbedonetorecognisethecontribution
madebydifferentcommunitiestoourheritage(EnglishHeritage2003).
10 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

addressedtheissuesaroundculturaldiversityintheheritagesectorinthelastdecade.For
thefullestoverviewofthetheoreticalandpracticalbackgroundtothisdebateseeLola
Young’sessayfortheMuseumofLondon3.

Beyonddiversity
Whiletheemphasisonculturaldiversityhasdonemuchtomovetheheritagesectorforward,
asastrategyitalsohasitslimitations.Putsimply,thereisariskthattheemphasisoncultural
diversityencouragesmuseums,galleriesandheritagesitestopresentaverystaticpictureof
diversity,a‘mosaic’approach,which,ifnothandledwithgreatsensitivity,mayencouragean
ideaofsocietyofcomposedofdiscrete,exclusivecommunities.Moreover,apredominantly
celebratoryapproachtopreviouslyhiddenhistoriescaninstitutionalisenewsilencesand
hierarchies(Kushner2006).
TheriskofareductivetokenismwasacknowledgedbytheDepartmentforCulture,Media
andSportinits2006majorreviewofthemuseumsector:
‘Thereisariskofpigeonholingpeopleinatokenisticway.Inchoosing
whichidentitiestoexplore,museums,aremakinganimplicitstatement
thatthesearetheidentitiesthatmatter.Weriskreplacingasingle
dominantstorywithaseriesofstoriesthatfailtoconnectwithone
another–the“Muslim”storyorthe“workingclass”story.[…]
Museumsneedtorecognisethemultiplehistoriesofourdiverse
communities,butalsotobeplaceswherecross-cuttingstoriescan
encounteroneanother,allowingdifferenthistoricaltraditionstomeet.’
(DCMS2006:13)
Onewayinwhichthiscanbeachievedisbyplacingtheemphasisonmigrationasprocess as
muchasondiversityasoutcome.Thisapproachalsohelpstoencourageanunderstandingof
identitiesasself-representationsthatareneitherimmutablenorsomehow‘natural’,but
createdovertimeinresponsetochangingcircumstances,newenvironmentsandencounters
withnewpeoples.Theheritagesectorisuniquelyplacedtorestoreasenseofhistorical
temporalitytorepresentationsofdiversity,or,inotherwords,togroundagrowingnumber
ofinterlocking‘horizontal’storiesaboutwhowearetodayinacomplexwebof‘vertical’
storiesaboutwherewehavecomefrom(DCMS2006).
Ratherthanmigrationbeingseenasoneaspectofaculturaldiversityagenda,cultural
diversity(insofarasitrefersto‘ethnicityandrace’4)couldinsteadbeperceivedasasubset
ofamuchmorefar-reachingnationalmigrationstory.Situatingcontemporarydiversityinthe
contextofthelonghistoryofpopulationandsettlement,butalsoofthemovementsof
peopleinandoutofBritainthatdefinedtheImperialperiod,wouldmakeitharderto
maintainexistingassumptionsabout‘majority’and‘minority’communitiesbyemphasising
notsomuchdifferenceascommonality.

Theeducationalneed
Therearemorethan10millionchildrenofschoolageintheUK.Asagrouptheycomprisea
significantproportionoftheheritagesector’svisitors,eitherwiththeirfamilies,orthrough
school-organisedvisits.PolicychangesinEnglishschoolsannouncedin2008willguarantee

3.‘Ourlives,ourhistories,ourcollections’byLolaYoung,
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/OnlineResources/RWWC/Essays/Essay2/
4.IntheMLA’sdocumentCulturalDiversityStatement,IssuesandActionPlanforResource(Resource
2003),culturaldiversityisdefinedas‘diversitybasedaroundethnicityandrace’.TheMLA’scurrent
agreeddefinitionofdiversityismuchbroader:‘Diversityisabouttherangeofvisibleandnon-visible
differencesthatexistbetweenpeople.Thesedifferencesincludethoserelatingtoethnicityandrace,
class,intellectualandphysicalability,urbanandruralliving,faithandgender,sexualityandage’(Hylton
2004:2).
11 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

everychildfivehoursofculturalactivitieseveryweek,whichattimeswillincludevisitsto
museums.Additionally,pressuresonteachingtimeintheprimaryschoolcurriculummeans
thatthereislessformalteachingofHistoryintheseschoolsthantherewas20yearsago.
Instead,primaryschoolchildrenusuallyreceivemuchoftheirhistoricalknowledgeand
understandingthroughone-offmuseumvisits.
Englishschoolsalsohaveadutytopromotesocialcohesion,andthestudyofmigrationisa
compulsorypartofthecurriculuminEngland,NorthernIrelandandWales,through
Citizenshipeducation,HistoryandGeography.Asaconsequencethereisagrowingdemand
fortheheritagesectortoprovidesuitableresourcesinthisarea.Anynewapproachto
representingmigrationintheUKheritagesectormustrespondeffectivelytotheneedsof
childvisitors,whowillcompriseasignificantaudience.
IntheUKtherehasbeenalonghistoryofeducationalinterventionsthathaveaimedto
buildbetterinter-ethnicrelations,towhichtheheritagesectorhascontributed.The
multiculturaleducationmovementofthelate1970sandearly1980saimedtoprepare
childrenfromthemajoritycommunityforlifeinamulti-ethnicsociety.Atthistimeschools
begantocelebratefestivalsotherthanthosethatwereChristian.Schooltextbookswerealso
reviewedfortheirportrayalofminoritycultures.
Butbythemid-1980s,multiculturaleducationhadbeguntoattractcriticismfor
homogenisingandexoticisingtheculturalformsofminoritygroups,aswellasfailingto
challengethedeep-rootedinequalitieswithinBritishsociety.Agrowinganti-racistmovement
calledforminoritygroupstounifyasBritishBlacksandfightracism.Thismoreassertive
movementagainledtoarewritingofschooltextbooks,schoolprojectsthatexplicitly
examinedethnicinequalitiesintheUK,aswellasschoolpoliciesthataimedtoconfront
racism(Klein1993).Anumberofheritagesectordiversityinitiativeshavetheirrootsinthis
period,forexample,BlackHistoryMonth,theBlackCulturalArchives,andthenowdefunct
EthnicCommunitiesOralHistoryProject.
Buttherewascriticisminsomequartersofthetoneofsomeanti-racistinitiatives.Academics
challengeddominantconstructionsofraceandanti-racismforfailingtoacknowledgethe
rangeofdifferenttypesofracismintheUKandtheexperiencesofgroupssuchasCypriots,
Irish,PolishandGypsyRoma(AnthiasandYuval-Davies1992,Rattansi1992).Inschools,
implementingwidereducationalreformsmadedemandsonteachers’timeandenergyandin
suchaclimateeducationalinitiativesthatexamineddiversityorethnicinequalityweregiven
lesspriority.Butthislullwasonlytemporary.Increasedrefugeemigrationduringthe1990s
andthedemonisationofthisgroupbysomesectorsofthemedialedanumberofrefugee
NGOstoproduceteachingresourcesandorganiseeducationalprogrammesasameansof
gettingtheirmessageacrosstoayouthaudience.ThesesameorganisationsformedRefugee
Weekin1998,aweekofeventsthatinvolvesschoolsandtheheritagesector,aswellas
manycommunityorganisations.
Butsincelate2001,termssuchasracismandraceequalityhavebeenreplacedinschoolsas
inanumberofotherareasofgovernmentbyanewpolicyagenda:socialcohesion.This
policyshiftwascausedbyconcernsaboutreligiousextremismafterthe2001and2005
atrocitiesinNewYorkandLondon,theBradfordandOldhamdisturbancesof2001and
reportsintothelattereventswhichidentifiedthehousing,educationalandemployment
segregationofMuslimswithinanumberofBritishcities.
Inresponsetotheseconcerns,governmentimposedadutyonschoolstopromotesocial
cohesionandaspartofthisprocessinitiatedareviewoftheEnglishschoolcitizenship
curriculum,withtheaimofusingthissubjecttobringdiversecommunitiestogetherand
createacommonBritishidentity.Thisreviewledtoaredraftingofthesecondarycitizenship
curriculum,withtheobligationthatschoolsnowteachchildrenabout‘migration,to,from
andwithintheUK’.However,thisnewrequirementisnotyetmatchedbysufficient
educationalresourcesbeyondtheschoolgates,insitessuchasmuseums.Thelaunchofthe
12 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

‘Whodowethinkweare?’website5 in2008whichprovidesresourcestoteachersinthisarea
isbothausefulnewresourceinitselfandevidenceoftheurgentneedforadditional
resources.
Thispolicycontextraisesfourquestionsfortheheritagesectoreducators:
1.Whatresourcesarepresentlyavailableintheheritagesectorforteachingabout
migration?
2.Whatmigratorymovementsarerepresentedineducationinitiatives,andwhat
gapsexist?
3.Howeffectivearepresentheritagesectoreducationalinitiativesinbuildinggood
inter-ethnicrelationsandgreatersocialcohesion?
4.Ifwewanttopromoteourmigrationheritage,whatformshouldtheeducational
andchild-centredcomponentstake?
Manyofthespecialistsites,aswellastemporaryexhibitionsdiscussedinthisreporthave
attachededucationalprogrammes.WebsitessuchasMovingHere(www.movinghere.org.uk)
havebeendesignedtobeaccessibleforallagegroups.Butliketheexhibitsthemselves,
muchoftheeducationalmaterial(aswellasschoolbooks)placesgreateremphasison
culturaldiversityanddownplaysbothmigrationasaprocessandtheimpactofnewarrivals
onshapingthehostcultures.Therearemanygapsincoverage,inparticularemigrationfrom
theUK,Europeanimmigrationandthesmallerandnewercommunitiesthathavearrivedin
theUKduringthelasttenyears.Indeed,inmanyrespectsthegapsineducationalcoverage
mirrorthoseintheheritagesectorasawhole(seebelow).
ManyspecialistsitesandtemporaryexhibitionshavebeenlocatedinLondonandotherlarge
metropolitanareas.Childrenwholiveoutsidethebigcitieshavehadmuchlessopportunity
tovisittheseexhibitions.Ingeneral,thereislittle‘hands-on’materialrelatingtomigration
andavailableonaregularbasistoyoungpeopleacrosstheUK.Heritagesectoronline
resourcesthatmighthelpfillthisgapstruggletocompetewiththesophisticatedmedia
platformsmanychildrenareusedto.Thereisscope,then,formoreeducationalworkinmore
locations,butalsoforbetterwork.Manyeducationalinterventionsthathaveaimedto
challengeprejudicehavenotbeeninformedbyresearchintosocialidentityandcognitive
developmenttheoriesofprejudice(unlikeinpost-conflictzonessuchasRwandaandthe
Balkans)andassuchhavenotscoredwellinevaluations(Lemos2005).
Itisessentialthatanyfutureheritagesectormigrationinitiativebothfillsthehistoricalgaps
andsuccessfullyengagesthechildaudience.

5.Forthewebsite’sapproachtomigrationseethearticlebyKeithAjegbo,‘Thesedayspeopleareonthe
move’,www.wdwtwa.org.uk/news/55/these-days-people-are-on-the-move.html
13 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

3.ExistingmigrationinitiativesintheUK
Inrecentyearsmanymuseums,heritagesitesandcommunityorganisationshavetakenup
thechallengeofimprovingthepublicrepresentationofmigration.Thissectionprovidesan
overviewoftheseinitiatives,basedoninformationprovidedbyheritageprofessionals
workinginthisfield.Itisbynomeanscomprehensiveandtheremaybeimportantprojects
thathavenotbeenincluded.Moreover,therangeanddiversityoftheseinitiativesshould
notdisguisethefactthatcoverageremainspatchy.Manyvisitorstomuseumsandheritage
sitesmaystillcomeawaywithnoinklingofthecomplexityofpopulationhistoriesinagiven
area.Andoftenorganisationsdependonthecommitmentofindividualcuratorsofthis
agenda.Thereisstillmuchworktobedonetoembedmigrationhistoriesintheheritage
mainstream.

Fromthemarginstothemainstream:the1980stothepresent
InJonMcGregor’s2006novelSoManyWaystoBegin thecentralcharacter,DavidCarter,a
curatoratCoventryMuseum,decidestocurateanexhibitionentitled‘Refugees,Migrants,
NewArrivals’.Theyearis1975andwhileCarter’sfictionalDirectorisreluctanttosupport
theproject,herecognisesthatthisisa‘fashionable’subject.HadareallifeDavidCarter
beenengagingwithCoventry’svariouscommunitiestoputtogetheranexhibitionabout
migrationhistoriesasearlyas1975hewouldhavebeenaveryearlypioneer.
Thatsaid,itwasinthemid1970sthatmigrationasasubjecttheheritagesectorshouldbe
tacklingwasfirstdiscussedwithanyseriousness.Inthissectionweattempttoreviewwhat
hashappenedsince,butitisimportanttonotefirstthatthisworkinggroupisnotthefirst
bodytofloattheideaofanationalmuseumofmigration.Indeed,in1999,theAsha
Foundationwasawarded£10millionbytheMillenniumCommissiontoestablishsucha
museum.Sadly,itfailedtocomeupwiththematchedfundingandtheprojecthadtobe
abandoned(Dean2005).
Backinthe1970s,ambitionsweremuchmoremodestthantheyaretoday.Small,local
museumsquietlystartedtoconsiderhowthemigrationstoriesoftheirlocalaudiencescould
bebetterrepresented:Hackney,BruceCastleinHaringeyandLeicesterMuseumsarenotable
examples(Fussell1991).Thisengagementwithmigrationcameoutoftheextenttowhich
suchmuseumsareembeddedintheirlocalcommunities.Thisoftencomeswithastrong
senseofresponsibilitytowardsthecommunityasawholeandamoreimmediateawareness
ofwhoisbeingleftout,whichthentranslatesintoadesiretobuild‘aresponsivemuseum
service’(MacDonald1995).
Today,followingrecentredevelopments,migrationstoriesareattheheartofsomeofthese
sameinstitutions:HackneyandBrentinLondonremainoutstandingexamples.Inasimilar
vein,museumsinareasthathavelongbeenkeypointsofarrivalanddeparture,suchasthe
DoverMuseum,necessarilyplacenarrativesofexchangeofpeoplesandculturesinthe
foreground.However,opennesstomigrationnarrativesisnotalwayssynonymouswitha
willingnesstousethemuseumtotackletheprejudiceandhostilityexperiencedby
newcomers.DoverMuseum,forexample,usesitsaward-winningBronzeAgeBoatdisplayto
explorecross-Channellinks3,500yearsago,butitdoesnotseemtohavebeenpreparedto
tackleheadonthethorniercontemporaryquestionsofclandestineimmigrationacrossthe
EnglishChannelandthedutyofcaretowardsrefugees,issuesthathavecastadarkshadow
overlocalpoliticsinrecentyears.
Whilevariouslocalinitiativesweretakingplaceduringthe1970sand1980s,itwasnotuntil
1993thatatrulylandmarkeventintherepresentationofmigrationtookplace,withthe
MuseumofLondon’s‘ThePeoplingofLondon’exhibition.Beginningin15,000BCE,the
exhibitionchartedabroadrangeofmigrationstreamsintothecityofLondonfromthe
Romans,viathe‘AgeofEmpire’toafinalsection,‘TheWorldinaCity’,mappingoutthe
14 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

demographiccharacterofLondonsince1945.AsRaminderKaurhasarguedinanessayfor
theMuseumofLondon,throughthisexhibition‘theislandraceisrapidlydispelledasthe
myththatitalwayswas’(Kaur2005).
Therewere,inevitably,groundsforcriticismofthePeoplingofLondonexhibition:some
peoplefeltconsultationwastokenisticandthattheexhibitionwasattimesessentialisingin
itsrepresentationofLondon’sminoritycommunities(seeMerrimanetal 1996).
Nevertheless,thelegacyoftheexhibitionhasbeensignificant.AttheMuseumofLondon
itselfithasinformedthethinkingbehindaseriesofredevelopments,notablythecomplete
redesignofthecontemporarygalleries(whichlookat1666tothepresent),scheduledto
openin2010atacostof£20.5million6.Migrationisalsonowaprominentthemeinthe
MedievalandRomangalleries,thanksinparttotheimpetusprovidedbyThePeoplingof
London.
Theconclusiontotheevaluationoftheexhibition–thatmigrationstoriesshouldbe
‘mainstreamed’throughoutthemuseum’swork–isnowaviewsharedbyprofessionals
acrossthesector,evenifchangeissometimesfrustratinglyslow.Nevertheless,new
museums,ormuseumsundergoingsubstantialredevelopment,areincreasinglyplacing
migrationattheheartoftheirnewnarratives.The‘GlobalCity’galleryinthenewMuseum
ofLiverpool,openingin2010/11,will,forexample,‘giveanoverviewoftheplacesLiverpool
tradedwithacrosstheworld,whatwasimportedandexported,andwherepeoplewho
settledinLiverpoolmigratedfrom’,inconjunctionwiththewiderobjectiveofgivingdue
considerationto‘LiverpoolandBritain’sroleintheBritishEmpire’7.
Similarly,aspartoftheconsultationprocessforthenewMuseumofBristol(opening2011)
storiesaboutmigrationtothearea,underthetitle‘Whenandwhydidyouoryourfamily
cometoBristol?’,arebeingcollectedfromthepublic8.Thenewmuseumwillalsoincludea
galleryonBristolandtheslavetrade(HeritageLotteryFund2006).
OutsidetheMuseumofLondon,oneofthefirstmuseumstomainstreammigrationhistories
wasBirminghamMuseumandArtGalleryinthe1990refitof‘Gallery33’(‘AMeeting
GroundofCultures’).Eschewingthetendencytotakeacelebratory,multiculturalapproach,
thegalleryaimedto‘deconstructcolonialism,recontextualisetwentieth-centurymigrations
andintegratethehistoriesofwhiteBritonsandethnicminorities’(PiersonJones1992:240).
Agoodexampleofhowmigrationisincreasinglyembeddedinmuseumrepresentationsof
bothnationalandlocalhistoryinareaswhereitmightpreviouslynothavebeenexpectedis
providedbytheBritishGalleriesatLondon’sVictoriaandAlbertMuseum(V&A).
Throughout,theexhibitionacknowledgesthecontributionsofmigratoryflowstothe
decorativeartsinBritain,forexample,intheinfluenceofFrenchHuguenotweaverson
textiledesignandofImperialtradingnetworksonseventeenthandeighteenthcentury
manufacturing.Throughthe‘WhoseStory?’project,theNationalTrusthasalsobeen
integratingmigrationstoriesintoitsinterpretativestrategies,notablyatCharlecoteParkand
WightwickManor(seeGrosvenorandMyers2006onthelatter).
Inthearchivessectoragrowingawarenessoftheimportanceofdevelopingrepresentative
collectionshasledarchivestodevelopmoreproactiveacquisitionspolicieswithaviewto
fillinginsomeofgapsintheircollections(forexample,aroundmigration).TheLondon
MetropolitanArchivesprovidesagoodexampleofthischange:recentdepositsincludethe
importantcollectionsofAfrican-CaribbeanactivistsandpublishersEricandJessicaHuntley,

6.‘What’shappeningattheMuseumofLondon?’
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/english/supportus/capitalcityproject/whatshappenmol.htm
7.‘GlobalCity’,www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/galleries/globalcity/index.aspx
8.‘What’sYourBristol?’,www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Leisure-Culture/Museums-Galleries/museum-
of-bristol---whats-your-bristol.en
15 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

oftheMuslimWomen’sHelplineand,ofparticularinterestforthethemeofmigration,44
metresofrecordsfromtheSpanishandPortugueseJews’Congregationdatingfromthe
mid-seventeenthcentury.The‘Legacy’projectatTyneandWeararchiveshasfocusedon
revisitingthecollectionsinordertodrawouthiddenmigrationhistoriesintheexisting
mainstreamcollectionsandmakingthesemoreaccessibletousers,throughtheproduction
ofauserguidetorecordsofethniccommunitiesand(separately)tomigration.The
migrationuserguideincludesreferencesfromworkhouseadmissionlistsandtradeunion
archives,highlightingthepervasivenessofthemigrationexperience.
Whether‘migration’or‘culturaldiversity’isthebestwayofframinganinclusiveapproachto
heritageis,however,asubjectfordebate.StFagan’s,theNationalHistoryMuseumof
Wales,iscurrentlyengagedindevelopinganewmuseum-wideinterpretationstrategywitha
viewtocontributingtoasignificantcollectivere-evaluationofwhatitmeanstobeWelsh.
Themainmessageofthenewstrategyisasfollows:
‘ThereisnosuchthingasoneWelshidentity–therearemany.The
exhibitionwillexplorehowoursenseofwhoweare,andwherewe
belong,isshapedbylanguage,beliefs,familytiesandasenseof
nationhood.Itwillshowthatcultureandtraditionsareconstantly
evolving,andwillquestionwhatthefutureholdsforanationlike
Walesinaglobalage.’(StFagans2007:1)
Clearly,migrationpatternswillbefundamentaltoanunderstandingof‘anationlikeWalesin
aglobalage’.Elsewhereinthestrategythisismademoreexplicit:Wales’scomplexreligious
tapestryisforexampletobeinterpretedasaproductofmigration.Butitshouldnotbe
assumedthatmigrationstoriesalonecansupportthewholefabricofarenewedWelsh
identity.Thisexamplehighlightsthefactthatmigrationhistoriesneedtocomplementand
deepenratherthandisplaceculturaldiversitythemes.

Temporaryexhibitions:cross-culturalimmigrationstories
‘ThePeoplingofLondon’establishedatemporaryexhibitionmodelthathasbeencopiedin
anumberoforganisations.Thefollowinginitiativesarealllinkedbythefactthattheyhave
taken‘thelongview’withregardtothehistoryofmigrationandhavesoughttoemphasise
linksbetweencommunitiesbytakingachronologicalorthematicapproach.Allhave,
however,focusedonimmigrationratherthanbroadermigrationhistories.
•‘MovingIn–ThePeoplingofEalingover1000years’,GunnersburyParkMuseum,
Acton,2000.
•‘Encounters:TheMeetingofAsiaandEurope1500–1800’,V&A,2004.Whilethis
exhibitionwasnotfocusedonthehistoryofmigration,itsthreesections–
discoveries,encounters,exchanges–necessarilyengagedinanin-depthwaywith
Britainintheworld,andtheworldinBritain,inthiscrucialhistoricalperiod.
•‘OurPeopleOurTimes’,NorthernIrelandMuseumsCouncil,2004.Thisexhibition,
whichbeganwith‘Ireland’sfirstmigrants’intheMesolithicperiod,touredtoa
numberoflocations.Eachhostinstitutionpreparedaseriesofactivitiesto
accompanytheexhibition(Crooke2007).
•‘ClosingtheDoor?ImmigrantstoBritain1905–2005’,TheJewishMuseum,London,
2005.ThisexhibitiontookthecentenaryoftheAliensActasthestartingpointfor
exploring‘howmigrantandrefugeecommunitieshavestruggledandsurvived,
despitetherestrictionsontheirrightofentry,andhowtheyhaveenrichedand
enhancedBritishsociety.’
•‘Whatwouldyoudoif…?’,SalfordMuseum,2006.Thisexhibitionfocusedonthe
experienceofrefugeesinNorthWestEnglandbutalsoincludeda‘migration
timeline’,documentingthehistoryofmigrationtoSalfordsincethefourteenth
century.
16 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

•‘RootstoCardiff–howtheworldmadeacity’,CardiffMuseum,2007.
•‘DestinationTyne&Wear–StoriesofMigrantCommunitiesintheNorthEast’,
SunderlandMuseumandWinterGardens,2008.
•‘Connections:hiddenBritishhistories’,touring,2005topresent.The‘Connections’
exhibitionisoneoutcomeofajointprojectlaunchedin1998betweentheJewish
CouncilforRacialEquality(JCORE),theAsian-Black-JewishForumandtheParkes
InstitutefortheStudyofJewish/non-JewishRelationsatSouthamptonUniversity.In
additiontoawebsitethatexplorestheparallelsbetweenBlack,JewishandAsian
historiesinBritaina24-panelexhibitionforyoungpeoplewasprepared.This
exhibitionhastouredtoschools,librariesandcommunitycentres.

Showcasingculturaldiversity
Notallmuseumsandheritagesiteshaveengagedwiththehistoryofmigrationinacross-
culturalcontext,butmosthaveatsomestageusedexhibitionstoshowcasethecultural
diversityresultingfrommigration.Sometimesthesehavebeendevelopedbymuseum
professionalskeentoprovideamoreinclusiveservicetotheircommunities,andsometimes
theimpetushascomefromwithinthecommunity.Thevariousoptionsarediscussedby
Crooke(2007).Herewelistonlyafewkeyexhibitions:
•‘ReflectionsoftheBlackExperience’,BrixtonArtGallery,1986.Thisgroupshowwas
thefirsttoshowcasetheworkofBlackBritishphotographers.Itledtothecreation
oftheagencyAutograph,whichhasjustrecentlyestablishedthefirstarchiveof
culturallydiversevisualartsatRivingtonPlaceinShoreditch,London.Thearchive
willbeamajorresourceforthestudyoftherepresentationofmigrationinthevisual
arts.
•‘TheOtherStory:Afro-AsianArtistsinPost-WarBritain’,TheHaywardGallery,
London,1989.
•‘Warm,RichandFearless:ABriefSurveyoftheSikhCulture’,CartwrightHall,
BradfordArtGalleriesandMuseums,1991.Thereflectionsofthecurator,Nima
Poovaya-Smithhavebeenveryinfluentialinshapingthewaymuseumsandgalleries
workwithunder-representedcommunities(Poovaya-Smith1997).
Alongandvariedlistcouldbedrawnupfrominstitutionsofallsizes:‘BlackBritishStyle’
(V&A2004),‘Coal,Frankincense&Myrrh:YemenandBritishYemenis’(WestonPark
Museum,Sheffield,2007–8),‘TheWorldintheEastEnd’(MuseumofChildhood,2005–8),
‘Identities’(JewishMuseum,2006),‘LittleItaly:TheStoryofLondon’sItalianQuarter’
(CamdenLocalStudiesandArchivesCentre,2008),‘FromBectoBroadway’(Wandsworth
Museum,2003)andsoon.The‘MovingHere’project(seebelow)facilitatedalotofprojects
focusedonindividualcommunitynarratives(including‘FromBectoBroadway’,which
exploredtheSouthAsiancommunityintheTootingareaofSouthLondon)asdidtheLocal
HistoryInitiative(2000–6).

Issue-basedinitiatives
Asylumandrefugees
Asylumandrefugeeshavebeenthefocusofanumberofprojects,designedtochallenge
negativestereotypesaroundrefugees,toattractnewaudiencesandtouseheritagesitesto
contributetotheintegrationofrefugeesintheUK.
Withregardtoexhibitions,‘Belonging:VoicesofLondon’sRefugees’attheMuseumof
London(2006)isthemosthigh-profileexample.‘Belonging’wascreatedaspartofthe
RefugeeCommunitiesHistoryProject,apartnershipbetweentheEvelynOldfieldUnit,
MuseumofLondon,LondonMetropolitanUniversityandmorethanfifteenrefugee
communityorganisationsandresultedinthecollectionofmorethan160in-depthlifestory
17 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

interviews,aswellasphotographsandobjects.Italsofeaturedworkcreatedaspartofthe
RefugeeHeritageProgramme,aninitiativeoftheLondonMuseumsHub,fundedbythe
Renaissanceprogramme,inwhichfourlocalmuseumsworkedwithfiverefugee
organisations.Themuseumsinvolvedwere:Croydon,Hackney,TheRaggedSchoolMuseum
(TowerHamlets)andtheRedbridgeMuseum.ThemuseumsworkedwithAfrican,Kurdish,
SomaliandAfghangroupsrespectively.TheRefugeeHeritageProgrammeculminatedina
conferenceattheMuseuminDocklandsinMarch2008whichrevealedthediversityof
initiativesaroundrefugeeinvolvementintheheritagesector.
Glasgow’sGalleryofModernArtaddressedthisthemeina2003exhibition,asdidSalford
MuseumandArtGalleryinthe2006exhibition‘Whatwouldyoudoif…?’.Boththese
institutionswerealsoengagingwithrefugeecommunitiesbehindthescenes.Salford
developedaRefugeeVolunteerProgramme,andGlasgow’sexhibitionwaspartofabigger
‘Sanctuary’projectthatincludedfourteenoutreachprojectsinpartnershipwithAmnesty
International(Mulhearn2007).TheSalfordprojectwaspartofajointinitiativebytheDCMS
andDepartmentforEducationandSkills(nowtheDepartmentforChildren,Schoolsand
Families)entitled‘EngagingRefugeesandAsylumSeekers’.OtherpartnersincludedNational
MuseumsLiverpool,LeicesterCityMuseumsService,andTyneandWearMuseums(Hybrid
2008).
Thefocusofthisreportisonrepresentationratherthancommunityengagementandassuch
thereisnotspacetogointothefullrangeofheritagesectorinitiativesaimedatengaging
refugees.ItisimportanttohighlighttheworkofRefugeeActionindelivering‘refugee
awarenesstraining’tostaffinmuseumsandlibrariesinBristol,LiverpoolandNottingham.
ThegrowingtrendforheritagesectororganisationstoengagewithrefugeesthroughESOL
teaching(EnglishforSpeakersofOtherLanguages)shouldalsobementioned;theV&Ahas
beenaleaderinthisarea.
Enslavementandtheslavetrade
Withtheprojectsdevelopedtomarkthebicentenaryoftheabolitionofthetrans-Atlantic
slavetradein2007theforcedmigrationofenslavedAfricansandthelegacyofthetradein
BritainbecamefirmlyembeddedintheUKheritagelandscape.Over£20millionwas
awardedbytheHeritageLotteryFundforprojectsinspiredbythebicentenary(DCLG2007),
oftenleavingapermanent(oratleastlong-term)legacy(forexampletheInternational
SlaveryMuseuminLiverpoolandtheacclaimed‘London,SugarandSlavery’exhibitionat
MuseuminDocklands).
Migrationinruralareas
Comparedwithmigrationincities,thisaspectofmigrationheritagehasbeenunder-
represented.However,therehavebeenanumberofrecentinitiativesinspiredbytheneedto
provideacontextforunderstandingthepresenceandneedsofmigrantagriculturalworkers
inruralareas.‘FeastofFenland’(NorfolkMuseumsandArchaeologyService,Wisbechand
FenlandMuseumandtouring,2007–8),wasatravellingexhibitioncentredonfood,but
whichusedthisthemeto‘putmigrantworkersinaproperhistoricalcontextandshowthey
arenothingnew’(DavidWorthington,RenaissanceEastMidlandsprojectsmanager,citedin
Stephens2007).AlsoinNorfolk,the‘BrandonCulturalHeritageProject’wasalocalhistory
projectthatfocusedonmigrantworkersinBrandoninSuffolkandThetfordinNorfolk.
‘Ipackedthismyself’wasatravellingexhibitionputtogetherbyBridgingArtswithmigrant
artists’associationApartArtsandfundingfromtheDioceseofTruroandadministeredby
CornwallCommunityFoundation.Acommunity-basedexhibition,itsoughtto‘throwa
spotlightonthehundredsofmigrantworkerswhoworkacrossCornwallthroughoutthe
year’.11

11.www.bridging-arts.com/news/i-packed-this-myself-photogallery
18 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

AnumberofprojectsintheLocalHistoryInitiative,whichwasadministeredbythe
CountrysideAgency,alsoexploredmigrationinruralareas,forexample,the‘BiddulphEast
OralHistoryArtProject’,whichexploredtheimpactofmigrationfromCentralandEastern
Europe‘andfromallareasofBritain’tothisareaofStaffordshireapparentlyknownlocallyas
the‘LittleUnitedNations.’12
Migrationandthearmedforces
UntilrecentlytheinvolvementoftroopsfromtheBritishEmpireinfightingintheconflictsof
thetwentiethcenturyinparticularhadlargelybeenignored.Thiswasparticularlytruefor
AfricansandAfrican-Caribbeans.ThestationingofCaribbeantroopsonthehomefront
duringtheSecondWorldWarmakesthisaparticularlyimportantepisodeinthehistoryof
theAfrican-CaribbeanpresenceintheUK.However,therearesomesignsthatcontributions
likethisarestartingtogainmorerecognition.
TheMinistryofDefence’s‘WeWereThere’exhibitionhasbeentouringtheUK,highlighting
theoftenunder-recognisedcontributionmadetoBritain’sDefenceoverthelast250years
bymenandwomenfromAfrica,Asia,theWestIndiesandotherCommonwealthcountries.
‘FromWartoWindrush’attheImperialWarMuseum,London(2008–9)isanotherattempt
tofillthisgap.Similarly,artistSaidAdrus’s‘PavillionRecaptured’exhibitionforTheLightbox,
Woking(2008)exploredthecomplexandforgottenhistoryoftheMuslimsoldiersofthe
IndianArmywhofoughtforBritainintheFirstWorldWar.
RefugeeWeekinJuneandBlackHistoryMonthinOctoberarekeydriversfortemporary
exhibitionsorevents.Theseweeksareusefulinthattheyraisetheprofileofparticular
histories.However,BlackHistoryMonth,nowinits21styearintheUK,isseenbysomeas
‘ghettoizing’andevenasabarriertomainstreamingBlackhistoryintheheritagesector.

Specialistsitesandinstitutions
Inadditiontoprojectswithinexistinginstitutionsthereareanumberofspecialistsiteswith
migration-relatedcollections.Theseorganisationsareoftenindependentandstruggleto
gatherthenecessaryfunds.
19PrinceletStreet
19PrinceletStreetiscurrentlyascloseastheUKcomestohavingapermanentmigration
museum.Manygenerationsofmigrantsfromacrosstheglobehavefoundshelterinthis
eighteenthcenturyhouseintheEastEndofLondon,fromtheHuguenotrefugeeswhowere
itsfirstresidentstothePolishJewswhopavedoverthegardentobuildasynagogueinthe
ninenteenthcenturyandtheirsuccessorswhoheldanti-fascistmeetingsinthebasementin
the1930s.Whatmakesthesitesopreciousisthewaythetracesofthesesuccessive
habitationsareallpreservedinthefabricofthebuilding:‘Listentothewalls’,oneofthe
installationsurges.
Thebuildingwaspurchasedin1981byacharitabletrust,the‘SpitalfieldsCentreforthe
StudyofMinorities’,whichwassetupinordertosecurethehouse’spreservation.19
PrinceletStreetwasregisteredasacharityin1983.TheprojectwaspioneeredbyTassaduq
Ahmed,aleadingfigureinthelocalBengalicommunity,andRabbiHugoGryn.Fromthe
outset,fosteringinterculturalunderstandinghasbeenattheheartofthecharity’swork.One
exampleisthe2000‘SuitcasesandSanctuaries’exhibitionproject,undertakenwiththe
supportofthePaulHamlynFoundation,wherechildrenfrompredominantlyMuslimschools
workedonJewishhistoriesandviceversa.Theinterculturalemphasisisalsoreflectedinthe
profileofthevolunteers,whoaredrawnfromawiderangeofbackgrounds(andinclude
refugees).

12.www.lhi.org.uk/projects_directory/projects_by_region/west_midlands/staffordshire/biddulph_east_
oral_history_art_project/index.html
19 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

19PrinceletStreetenjoysahighlevelofpublicrecognitionfollowingprofilesinawiderange
ofmedia13 andwouldbeapopularchoiceforapermanentmuseumofmigration.Themain
difficultythecharityfacesinmovingtothenextlevelisraisingthematchedfunding
necessarytodrawonpublicsources,suchastheHeritageLotteryFund(atleast£3millionis
required).Immigration,apparently,remainsasubjectwithwhichprivatesponsorsare
uncomfortable.Ironically,thismaybebecausetheabsenceofanationalmuseumorsimilarly
high-profileinitiativemeansthatitisnotseenbymanyaspartofthenationalheritage.In
200219PrinceletStreetwasplacedonEnglishHeritage’s‘BuildingsatRisk’register.English
Heritagealsocontributed£30,000forurgentstructuralrepairs.Theongoingfragilityofthe
buildingmeansitcancurrentlyonlyopenforafewdaysayear.
19PrinceletStreetisafoundermemberoftheUNESCOmigrationmuseumsnetworkandis
alsopartoftheInternationalCoalitionofHistoricSiteMuseumsofConscience,whichalso
includestheLowerEastSideTenementMuseuminNewYorkCity.
ButetownHistoryandArtsCentre
TheButetownCentreinCardiffisalocalhistoryandculturalcentreestablishedin1987
whichaims‘toensurethatthesocialandculturalhistoryofCardiffDocklands,oneof
Britain’smostfamouscommunities,iscarefullycollectedandpreserved’.Thecentreaimsto
createa‘BayPeoples’archiveandmuseumandtothatendisbuildingupcollectionsrelating
tothehistoryofthearea,includingtheimportanthistoryofmigrationinthedocks.The
centreisanindependentcharity.
Specialistsitesbycommunity
Thefollowingmajorinstitutionsspecialiseintheheritageofparticularcommunities(with
importantmigrationhistories).Theiractivitiesreflectthestrengthsoftheirexpertstaffand
collections.
•Jewishmuseums.TherearenotableJewishmuseumsinLondonandManchester.
BothholdcollectionsdocumentingthesocialandculturalhistoryofJewsinBritain,in
additiontoimpressivecollectionsofJudaica.TheJewishMuseuminLondonis
currentlyundergoinga£9.2millionredevelopmentprogramme.Therenewedmuseum
willaimto‘buildonitsvaluableworkincombatingracismandprejudice,promoting
interfaithrespectandunderstanding,andcontributingtoculturaldiversityinLondon
andtheUK.’
•TheBlackCulturalArchives.Thirtyyearsinthemaking,theBlackCulturalArchivesin
Brixton,SouthLondon,hasrecentlybeenawarded£4millionbytheHeritageLottery
FundtobecomeapermanentmuseumandarchiveoftheblackpresenceinBritain.
•TheUlsterAmericanFolkpark. Documentinganemigrantratherthananimmigrant
community,theUlsterAmericanFolkparkisanopen-airmuseuminCoTyrone,
NorthernIrelandthattellsthestoryofemigrationfromUlstertoAmericainthe
eighteenthandnineteenthcenturies.TheFolkparkwasfoundedin1976.Since1998
ithasbeenpartofNationalMuseumsandGalleriesofNorthernIreland.Plansare
currentlybeingpreparedtodevelopaNationalMuseumofEmigration.
Specialistsitesbytheme
Justastemporaryexhibitionshaveexploredparticularthemesinthehistoryofmigration,so
therearededicatedthematicsites.
•InternationalSlaveryMuseum (ISM),Liverpool.Openedin2007withinMerseyside
MaritimeMuseum,theISMispartofNationalMuseumsLiverpool.

13.www.19princeletstreet.org.uk/press.html
20 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

• BritishEmpireandCommonwealthMuseum(BECM),Bristol.Openedin2002,the
BritishEmpireandCommonwealthMuseumisthefirstmajorinstitutionintheUKto
presentthe500-yearhistoryandlegacyofBritain’soverseasempire.Its2007
exhibition‘BreakingtheChains–TheFighttoEndSlavery’wasshortlistedforthe
covetedArtFundprize.AsanindependentcharitytheBECMhasstruggledtoattract
thefinancialsupportitrequirestomeetitscurrent£2millionannualrunningcosts
andisplanningamovetoLondonwiththehopeofsecuringitslong-termfutureand
reachingalargerinternationalaudience.

Onlineinitiatives
Thephysicalinitiativesdescribedabovearecomplementedbyasetofonlineinitiatives.
Immigrationonline
MovingHere–www.movinghere.org.uk
‘MovingHere’wasaconsortiumof30archives,librariesandmuseumsthatcontributedto
theonlinecatalogueof200,000itemsrelatingtothehistoryofmigrationtotheUK.The
firstphaseoftheprojectdedicatedtothedevelopmentofthisonlineresourceandincluding
essaysonthehistoryoftheIrish,Jewish,CaribbeanandSouthAsiancommunitiesintheUK
wasfundedbytheBigLotteryFundandledbytheNationalArchives.Visitorstothesite
werealsoencouragedtouploadtheirownstoriesand104didso.‘MovingHere’also
providesguidanceforpeoplefromthesecommunitieslookingtoexploretheirfamilyhistory,
andthisfeaturehelpstoexplainthesite’ssuccess.
Asecondphasefrom2005–7includedfournewregionalheritagepartners(MLAYorkshire,
WestMidlandsMuseumsHub,EastMidlandsMuseumsHub,andLondonMuseumsHub)
andanumberofotherorganisations(NationalMuseumsLiverpool,theRoyalGeographical
Society,theMuseumofLondon,WestYorkshireArchivesService,andtheJewishMuseum),
againledbytheNationalArchivesandfundedbytheHeritageLotteryFund.Thissecond
phasewasintendedtofacilitatecommunity-basedheritageprojectsaroundthehistoryof
migrationacrosstheUK.Theseprojectsareprofiledonthewebsite.15
The‘MovingHere’projecthasnowclosed.Nonewitemsarebeingaddedtothecollections,
norarethereongoingplanstodisseminatetheresearch,althoughongoingaccessishandled
bytheNationalArchives.Anyproposalsforadditionalonlineresourceswillneedtoplanfor
theirlong-termfuture.

Origination–www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/R/racedebate/more.html
‘Origination:TheRichMixofBritishHistoryandCulture’isaChannel4mini-site,createdin
2006,that‘bringstogether,thewealthofwebresourcesrecordingandcelebratingthe
contributionsofimmigrantculturestocontemporaryBritain.’16 Manyoftheresourcesit
gatheredhavenowbeentakendown,highlightingissuesaroundthelong-termsustainability
ofonlineresources.Itcontinuestohostaseriesof‘TalkingPoints’,wherevariousprominent
figuressharetheirviewsaboutmulticulturalismandanethnicitymapofBritain.

TheBBC
TheBBCwebsiteprovidesdetailedinformationaboutthehistoryofimmigrationtotheUKin
arangeoflocations.Inadditionto‘BornAbroad:AnImmigrationMapofBritain’17 (prepared
inconjunctionwithippr)localandregionalpagesofferdetailedinformationabout
sometimeslittle-knownmigrationhistoryintheirarea,forexampleaboutthePolish
communitythatcametosettleinthevillageofPenleyontheWrexham-Shropshireborder.18

15.www.movinghere.org.uk/stories/default.asp
16.www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/R/racedebate/more.html
17.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/born_abroad/html/overview.stm
18.www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/wrexham/pages/penley.shtml
21 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Emigrationonline
TheScottishEmigrationMuseum–www.homecomingscotland.com
Thisproject,coordinatedbytheScottishMuseumsCouncil,aims‘toprovidetheglobal
communitywithaccesstoaunique,authoritativeandinspirationalonlinecollectionofScots
migration-relatedresourcesinpartnershipwithkeyDiasporapartnercountries’(Scottish
MuseumsCouncil2008).Itisduetobelaunchedintimeforthe2009‘Homecoming
Scotland’celebrations.

ScotsAbroad–www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/scotsabroad/index.html
ScotsAbroadisaportalhostedbytheNationalLibraryofScotland,givingaccesstoonline
ScottishemigrationresourcesbothinsideandoutsidetheLibrary.

Glaniad–www.glaniad.com
Glaniad(Welshfor‘landing’)isawebsitethattellsthestoryoftheWelshemigrantswho
settledinPatagonia,SouthAmerica,duringthelatenineteenthcentury.In2005–6items‘of
culturalandhistoricalsignificancetoWalesandPatagonia’weredigitisedtoproducea
searchableonlinegalleryandatrilingualwebsitetointerprettheseitems.Theprojectwasa
jointundertakingbetweenCyMAL(MuseumsArchivesandLibrariesWales),Culturenet
Cymru,theNationalLibraryofWales,theUniversityofWalesBangorArchivesandLibrary,
andvariousorganisationsinPatagoniawithfundingfromtheWelshAssemblyGovernment.
Theonlineresourcewasalsoexplicitlydesignedtomeettherequirementsofsecondary
schoolHistoryKeyStage3:AHistoricalTheme:MigrationandEmigration.
HiddenHistories:TheUntoldLondonportal–www.untoldlondon.org.uk
UntoldLondonisawebportalconnectinguserswithinformationaboutthehistoryof
London’sdiversecommunities.BasedatMuseumofLondonDocklandsandmanagedby
LondonMuseumsHub,theprojectissupportedbythetechnologyofthe24HourMuseum
andisfundedbytheMLAandtheDCMS(whichbacktheHub).Theprojectisinparta
responsetoarecommendationbytheMayor’sCommissiononAfricanandAsianHeritagefor
‘theestablishmentofavirtualresource[…]asaformalandinformaleducationaltoolaswell
asaportalforthewealthofheritageresources[…]’(MCAAH2005:18).Thesiteprovides
historylistingsinLondon,collectioninformationandnewsfeatures.Pastlistingsandfeatures
arearchivedasaresource.Informationisorganised‘byculturalgroup’.

Communityprojects
Theinitiativesdescribedabovearemostlymajorinstitutionalinitiatives.Thereisalsoawealth
ofsmallerprojects,often,althoughnotexclusively,ledbyandfromthecommunitiesin
questionandfundedforthemostpartbytheHeritageLotteryFund.Whiletheseprojects
takeplaceoutsideofthemainstream,thoseinreceiptofpublicfundingarerequiredtomake
theiroutcomesaccessibletopeoplefrombeyondtheircommunity,oftenbydepositingtheir
archiveswithlocalornationalarchivesorlibraries.Collectively,theseprojectsmakeamajor
contributiontotheUK’smigrationheritage.
Communityheritageandoralhistoryprojects
Oralhistoryhasaparticularlyimportantroletoplayinthehistoryofmigration,sincethere
maybeminimaltracesinexistingcollectionsinmuseumsandarchives.Oralhistoryprojects
mayempowermigrantstotelltheirstoriesforthefirsttime(Thomson1999).Andthe
communitybasisoftheseprojectsenablesthemtoreachindividualsandunearthmemories
andexperiencesthatwouldprobablybeinaccessibletomainstreamorganisations,even
thosethatarelocallyembedded.
Thetablethatfollowslistsaselectionofrecentcommunityheritageprojectsthathaveused
oralhistory(oftenalongsideotheractivities),fundedeitherbytheHeritageLotteryFund,or
bytheBigLotteryFundunderthe‘AwardsforAll’scheme.Thelistisnotcomprehensive,but
isintendedtogiveaflavourofthekindofworkbeingundertaken.
22 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Table1.Communityheritageprojectsusingoralhistory
Project
BurtonMulti-CulturalHistoryProject
HowSoonweForget
FirstBosniansintheUK
MovingOut
Diamondanniversaryofthe
‘Seva’inHandsworth
LondonTurkishHeritageProject
AsianHistoryProject
HidahaiyoDhaqan
Migrationproject
IrishHeritageinHaslingden
SikhsinScotland
CypriotDiasporaProject
OralHistoryofBangladeshi
inGreaterManchester
BangladeshiHeritage
UnpackingThePast
MoroccanMemories
TalesofthreegenerationsofBengalis
intheUK:BengaliOralHistoryProject
TheImmigrantsProject
WalsallAsianHeritageProject
VietnameseOralHistoryProject
WelcomeStoriesProject
RomanyHeritageProject
Leadpartner Community/ies
EastStaffordshireRacialEqualityCouncil Caribbean,SouthAsian
SoftTouch Caribbean,SouthAsian,African,
EasternEuropeaninLeicester
BosnianCulturalCentre–Midlands Bosnian
Fullspectrumproduction CaribbeaninNottingham
SikhCommunityandYouthServiceUK Sikh,Handsworth(Birmingham)
TurkishCypriotCommunityAssociation TurkishCypriot
AsianHistoryProject AsianinBristol
SomalilandCommunityCentre SomaliinManchester
Polkadotsonraindrops VietnameseinLondon
StockportYouthServices Multiple
IrishHeritageinHaslingdenCommittee Irish
AndersonMel-MilaapCentre Sikh
CamdenCypriotWomen’sOrganisation GreekCypriot
GreekParentsAssociation GreekCypriot
TigersCommunityAssociation BangladeshiinManchester
NewhamBengaliCommunityTrust BangladeshiinLondon
MAPPA MultipleinPortsmouth
TheMigrantandRefugee Moroccan
Communities’Forum
SwadhinataTrust Bengali
ReadingLocalHistoryTrust MultipleinReading
WalsallAsianLibraryUserGroup Sikh,Hindu,Muslim,Gujarati,
BangladeshiinWalsall
RefugeeAction Vietnamese
NationalCoalitionBuildingInstitute, MultipleinLancaster
Lancashire
Gypsy/TravellerSupportGroup Traveller

TheseprojectsareoftensupportedbylargerumbrellagroupssuchasEastsideCommunity
HeritageandShed22,bothinEastLondon,whichprovidesupport,trainingandsometimes
physicalspacetocommunityprojectsintheirarea.
Trails
TheAnglo-SikhHeritageTrailisauniquenationalinitiative,bringingtogetherawiderange
ofheritagesites,organisationsandobjectsintheUKandrevealingtheir(oftenhidden)
importanceforSikhHeritage.TheprojecthasbeensupportedbyEnglishHeritageandthe
HeritageLotteryFundandwaslaunchedin2004.Inthefirstphaseawebsitewascreated
whichenabledvisitorstofollowtheTrailvirtuallyandplanactualvisits.Inthesecondphase
oftheproject(scheduledtorunto2010)thetrailwilldeliveraprogrammeofoutreachand
educationinitiativesbutwillalsocontinueitsexplorationofexistingmuseumandarchive
collections.Thetrailisanexcitingwayofusingavirtualplatformtolinkpartnersina
physicalnetwork.
23 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Communitypartnerships
Whilemanycommunitieshavedrawnonavailablefundingtogoitalone,therearealso
instancesofsuccessfulpartnershipsbetweenheritagesectororganisationsandcommunity
groups(andoftenadditionalpartnerssuchasschoolsanduniversities)aroundthethemesof
migrationandsettlement.Thesemaybeinitiatedbythecommunityorbytheheritage
organisationkeentomeetculturaldiversityobjectives.Anumberoftheexhibitionsand
projectscitedaboveinthesection‘Showcasingculturaldiversity’fallintothiscategory.The
followingfurtherexamplesareintendedtogivesomeindicationofthediversityof
partnershipworking,andalsotoextendtheframebeyondthestagingofexhibitions.
•‘FerhamFamilies’(2007).AteamincludingresearchersfromtheUniversityof
Sheffield,curatorsfromCliftonParkMuseumandavisualartistfromthelocal
communityworkedwithalocalschool,aSureStartprogrammeandmembersofthe
Pakistani/KashmiricommunityinRotherhamtocreateawebsiteandexhibitionand
to‘toexplorewaysinwhichmuseumpracticesandthecollectionofartefactswithin
amuseumwerebothupheldanddisruptedthroughthepresentationofanexhibition
of‘identitynarratives’(PahlandPollard2006).TheprojectwasfundedbytheArts
andHumanitiesResearchCouncil.
•NorthamptonshireBlackHistoryAssociation(formerlyProject)and
NorthamptonshireRecordOfficehaveworkedtogetherontwoseparateHeritage
LotteryFundprojectsfrom2002–8toencourageblackandAsiancommunitygroups
(manyofwhoserecordspertaintohistoriesofmigration)todeposittheirarchivesat
therecordofficeinordertopreservethisheritageforthefutureand,fromthepoint
ofviewoftherecordoffice,tocreatemorerepresentativecollections.
•‘FootprintsoftheDragon’(ongoingsince2007):apartnershipbetweentheLondon
MetropolitanArchive(LMA),theChineseNationalHealthyLivingCentre(CNHLC)
andtheLondonChineseCommunityNetwork(LCCN).Theprojectaimstodocument
theexperiencesofChinesesettlersinLondonsince1880tocreatea‘London
Chinesecommunityarchive’atLMA.
•IdentityandtheCity:AHistoryofEthnicMinoritiesinBristol1000–2001. Thiswasa
bookpublishedaspartofthe‘England’sPastforEveryone’project,aschemeledby
theVictoriaCountyHistoryandfundedbytheHeritageLotteryFund,bringing
togetherhistoriansandvolunteerstoworkonnewpublicationsandotherresources.
TheBristolgroup,ledbyresearchersfromtheUniversityoftheWestofEngland,
chosetofocuson‘thepeoplewhohavemadeBristoltheirhome,frommedieval
Jewstothemoderndayasylumseeker.’19 Anotheroutcomefromtheprojectwasthe
creationofthe‘BristolSlaveryTrail.’
Communityarchives
Withinparticularcommunities,thehistoryofmigrationisincreasinglydocumentedby
independentcommunityarchives.Theseinitiativesvaryinsizefromsomelarge-scale
organisationsinreceiptofconsiderableprojectfundingfromeithertheHeritageLottery
FundortheArtsCouncil(suchastheBlackCulturalArchivesandRivingtonPlace,thenew
archiveof‘culturallydiversevisualarts’),toprojectsthatdependentirelyonasmallnumber
ofvolunteers,mayneverhavereceivedanyfundingandmayfallbelowtheradarevenof
localauthorityheritageservices.Avarietyofinstitutionalarrangementsarepossible:material
maybeheldentirelyinthecommunity,orhousedbymainstreaminstitutionssuchas
universitiesorlocalauthorityarchives,withownershipremainingwiththesourcegroup.For
example,theArchiveoftheIrishinBritain,‘auniqueacademicandcommunityresource’,is

19.www.englandspastforeveryone.org.uk/Counties/Bristol?Session/@id=D_4N9iGiLD8dQ3CFDbb6vo
24 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

heldbytheIrishStudiesCentreatLondonMetropolitanUniversity20 buttherearealso
importantcollectionsofmaterialrelatingtotheIrishdiasporaheldentirelywithinthe
community,forexample,bytheHuddersfieldIrishCentre.
ThevalueofthecommunityarchivessectorwasrecognisedbythereportoftheArchives
TaskForce,whichsuggestedthatarchivesheldinthecommunitywere‘asimportantto
societyasthoseinpubliccollections’(ArchivesTaskForce2004:43).Communityarchives
haveauniqueroletoplayintellingtheBritishmigrationstory,sincetheyoftenpreservethe
documentarylegacyofthosegroupsthathavebeenmarginalisedbythemainstream
heritagesector.Theyoffercommunitiestheopportunitytotelltheirownstoriesontheirown
terms.Theintrinsictransienceofmigrationalsomeansthatarchivecollectionsaresometimes
betterplacedthanmuseumstotellthestoryofmigration,sincetracesoftenremaininthe
formofpassengerlists,diaries,ticketsandphotos,asscrapsinshoeboxesratherthan
artefactsinmuseumstores.However,thelackofcorefundingforindependentarchives
makesitdifficulttoguaranteetheirsustainability.
Theneedtodevelopalong-termstrategyfortheindependentcommunityarchiveshasbeen
identifiedbytheCommunityAccesstoArchivesProjectandmorerecentlybytheArchives
DiversificationSub-committeeoftheHeritageDiversityTaskForce(2007,unpublished).Any
initiativeseekingtoraisetheprofileofmigrationheritagesintheUKwouldneedtoinclude
measurestosupportthisvaluablesector,whichcurrentlyreliesheavilyonprojectfunding.

Identifyingthegaps
Whilemanyoftheinitiativesdescribedabovedemonstratetheimpressivediversityof
approachestomigrationintheUKheritagesectortheyalsorevealthepiecemealandpatchy
wayinwhichmigrationisrepresented.Gapsmentionedbytheexpertsconsultedduringthe
preparationofthisreportinclude:
•TheMedievalandEarlyModernperiod.WhenpeoplethinkofmigrationtotheUK,
theretendstobeafocusontwentiethcenturymigration.Someoftheearlier
migratoryphases,setoutinSection2above,havebeenparticularlyunder-
represented.
• Emigration. Whiletheemigrationexperience,particularlytoNorthAmerica,iswell
representedinWales,ScotlandandNorthernIreland,emigrationfromEnglandis
almostcompletelyinvisibleintheheritagesector,exceptinthecontextoftheBritish
Empire,whichisitselfaverymarginaltopic(currentlyvisibleonlyattheBristol
EmpireandCommonwealthMuseumand,toalesserextent,inNationalMuseums
Liverpool).
• Internalmigration,bothfromruraltourbanareasandbetweenthenationsofthe
UnitedKingdom.Bywayofexample,therecent‘DestinationTyne&Wear’exhibition
attheSunderlandMuseumfocusedonmigrationfromoverseas,withouthighlighting
thefactthatbetween1880and1920theNorthEastregionwasamajorcentreof
migrationnotjustfromIreland,butalsofromScotland(Renton2006).
• Returnmigration. ThereisnoevidenceofreturnmigrationeithertoorfromtheUK
beingrepresentedinmuseums,archivesorotherheritagesitesanywhereintheUK.
Thistopicisessentialtograspingthecomplexityofmigrationflows.
•ThehistoryoftheBritishEmpireandCommonwealth anditsassociatedpopulation
patterns.TheonlyinstitutiontospecialiseinthiscrucialaspectofBritishhistory
(BristolEmpireandCommonwealthMuseum)isbeingforcedtorelocatebecauseof
lackoffunding.ThelackofunderstandingofthehistoryoftheBritishEmpirecan
beconsideredamajorbarriertointerculturaldialoguebetweenthemajoritywhite
populationandcommunitiesoriginatingfromtheformercolonies.

20.www.londonmet.ac.uk/irishstudiescentre/archive/archive_home.cfm
25 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

•Europeanmigrations, inparticularIrishandPolishmigrations.Thelackofvisibilityof
theIrishdiasporaintheheritagesectorisparticularlysurprisinggiventheexistence
ofastrongresearchcommunity(reflectedinmigrationfocusedresearchcentresat
LondonMetropolitanUniversity,Huddersfield,BradfordandQueen’sUniversity
Belfast[Omagh]).Littleofthisworkappearstohavepermeatedthroughto
museumsandarchives.TheIrishcommunitywasprofiledinthe‘MovingHere’
project,resultinginthedigitisationofasignificantamountofrelevantmaterialfrom
theNationalArchivesandotherrepositories.However,mostofthecommunity
projectsassociatedwith‘MovingHere’wereshort-lived,andfewoftheheritage
organisationsinvolved(suchasKirkleesMuseum)appeartohavesustainedtheir
involvementwiththeIrishcommunity.

Anumberofarchives,eitherbasedinthecommunityorinacademicinstitutions,
haveemergedtofillthisgap,butthechallengesforcommunityarchivesaremultiple
(seeFlinn2007)andallstruggletoachieveahighlevelofvisibility.Moreover,
under-representationoftheIrishdiasporahasoftenamountedtomisrepresentation;
theMuseumofLondonhas,forexample,reportedlybeencriticisedinthepastfor
representingnineteenth-centuryIrishLondonersas‘almostexclusivelyuneducated
labourers’(Samuels2007).TheIrishcommunityhasnotbeenthesubjectofany
majorexhibitioninEngland,norhavepopulationmovementsinbothdirections
betweenEnglandandWalesandIrelandbeenexploredinanydetailinaheritage
setting.

DespitealonghistoryofmigrationbetweenPolandandtheUK(inbothdirections:
asmanyas15,000–40,000ScotsmayhavesettledinPolandintheseventeenth
century)21 alackofawarenessofthishistory,andinparticularthearrivaloflarge
numbersofPolesintheaftermathoftheSecondWorldWar,contributesto
misconceptionsaboutthePolishpresence.ThestoryofthePolishpresenceinBritain
couldplayasignificantroleinfosteringamoresophisticatedpublicunderstandingof
thecomplexandinextricablelinksbetweenBritainandEurope.ThePolish
communityremains,however,almostentirelyabsentfrommainstreamheritage
representations(thelanguagebarrierwasreportedlyonereasonwhyitwasnot
profiledin‘MovingHere’)andPolish-ledheritageorganisations(inparticularPOSK
–PolishLibraryandArchiveinHammersmith,WestLondon)receivelittleorno
supportfromthemainstreamheritagesector.
•Themostrecentmigrations,whetherfromEasternEuropeorfromcountriessuchas
Iraq.Therewasalsoafeelingthatthedrivetofindwaystoimprovethe
representationofAfricanandAsianheritagesinthesectorhasledtosomefigures
andperiodsbeingdisproportionatelyemphasised,notinrelationtotheheritage
sectorasawhole(wheretheseheritagescontinuetobemarginalised)butratherin
thecontextoftheoverallpicturethatispresented,forexampleoftheAfrican
presenceintheUK.Therecurrenceofnowfamiliarfiguresandnarrativesmayreflect
bothalackofspecialistknowledgeonthepartofcuratorsandtheongoingpaucity
ofresearchintoBlackBritishhistory.So,forexample,thearrivaloftheWindrush
dominatesnarrativesofmigrationfromtheCaribbean,tothedetrimentofamore
complexstoryforthisperiod.ThereisanongoingneedforsupportforBlack
heritageprojectsacrossthewidestpossiblerangeofhistoricalperiodsand
geographicareastocorrectthisimbalance.Suchprojectsdependonincreased
supportforacademicresearchintoBlackBritishhistory,whichcontinuestobe
neglectedormarginalisedinschoolanduniversitycurricula.

21.www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/europe/intro_europe.shtml
26 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Thematicgapswereidentifiedintheareasof:
•Changingcommunicationtechnologies. TheInternet,cheaplong-distancetelephone
callsandsatellitetelevisionhaveradicallychangedindividualexperiencesof
migrationandthewaydiasporicspaceisimagined,constructedandinhabited.
Overall,themediausedbymigrantstomaintainlinkswithhome,andhowthese
havechanged,werefelttobeunder-represented.
•Music. Fewrecentprojectshavelookedattheimportanceofmusicasavehiclefor
thetellingofmigrationnarratives,norhavetherebeensystematicattemptstolook
atthemigrationofmusicalstylesandpractices.Music,however,isoneoftheways
inwhichpeoplemostreadilyengageonaday-to-daybasiswithdiversity,diaspora
andthecreativefusionofculturalstylesandpractices.
Whatlinksboththesethemesisthequestionofintangibleheritageandtheproblemofhow
weusecollectionsanddisplaystodocumentandrepresentperformanceandpractice.Thisis
aparticularlypressingissueforanyheritageinitiativeseekingtoexplorethethemeof
migrationsincethereisnoeasyanswertothequestionofwhatconstitutesthematerial
cultureofmigration(asopposedtodiversity).Indeed,centraltothethemeofmigrationis
oftentheideaofloss,ofwhathasbeenleftbehind.Buthowcanmuseums,builtonalogic
ofaccumulation,acquisitionandmaterialexcess,accountforthisvoidandopenupaspace
forthelonged-for,missingobject(Grognet2007)?Migrationmuseumspresentanexciting
opportunitytocallintoquestionthedominantheritageparadigmbuttheyarealsoliableto
struggletodeveloparationaleandlong-termstrategyiftheyareseenmerelyasinstruments
ofsocialchangeratherthansitesforinterculturalexperimentandencounter.
27 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

4.Theinternationalcontext
AlthoughsomeoftheissuesaroundmigrationarespecifictotheUK,accelerationsinthe
paceofmovementsofgoods,peopleandideasaroundtheworldhavegeneratedverysimilar
debatesinmanyothercountries,predominantlyintheEnglish-speakingworldandin
ContinentalEurope.Sincethelate1990smanycountrieshaveturnedtomuseumsand
heritagesitestohelpthemaddressfundamentalquestionsofidentityandorigin.Partofthe
answerhasfrequentlybeentoexplorethelegacyofpopulationmovementandsettlement
throughmigrationmuseums.
TheimportanceofthistrendhasbeenrecognisedbyUNESCO(theUnitedNations
Educational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization),whichin2006createdaninternational
migrationmuseumsnetwork.ThefinalstatementofthefirstUNESCOexpertmeetingon
migrationmuseumssentoutaclearmessageaboutthevalueofsuchinstitutions,noting
theirpotential‘toachieveamorecohesiveandpeacefulsocietybothnationallyand
internationally’and‘toprotectmigrants’rights’(UNESCO2006).
Asthefollowingdiscussionwillshow,manyoftheseinitiativeswouldnotbeappropriatein
theUKcontext,butnonewinitiativeinthisareashouldoccurwithoutcarefulattentionto
internationalexperienceandexistinginternationalnetworksofexpertise,whichhavemuch
toteachus.(SeeAppendix2foranoverviewintableform.)

TheAmericasandAustralasia
TheUnitedStates
TheUnitedStateshasthemostpotentsiteforamigrationmuseuminEllisIslandinNew
York.TheIslandwasthefirstportofcallformorethan12millionimmigrantsbetween1892
and1954andisthusdeeplysymbolicformigrantheritage.Itisbothamuseumanda
heritagesite,seekingtointerpretboththeindividualandcollectivestoriesofimmigrantsand
theprocessesofmigrationtheyexperiencedontheIsland.Itsdisplaysprimarilyaddressthe
floodofEuropeanimmigrationtoAmericaduringthelatenineteenthandearlytwentieth
centuries.However,apermanentcontextualintroductionandtemporaryexhibitionsseekto
broadenthesite’snarrativetoincludenon-Europeanmigrationinmorerecentyears.The
museumalsooffersaccesstopassengerrecordsandhelpwithfamilyhistoryresearch,which
hasprovedverypopular.EllisIslandopeneditsdoorstovisitorsin1990.
TheLowerEastSideTenementMuseum,alsoinNewYorkCityandestablishedin1988,
addressesthehistoryofmigrationintheUnitedStatesonamuchmorepersonal,domestic
scale.TheMuseum’smissionistopromotetoleranceandahistoricalperspectiveby
interpretingthevarietyofmigrantexperiencesonManhattan’sLowerEastSideinthelight
ofcontemporarysocialissues(Abram2000).
TheUSalsohasastrongtraditionofethno-specificmuseums.Manystatespossessa
numberofsuchinstitutions,typicallytheresultofgrassrootsmovementstorecordand
preserveethnicheritages.ExamplesincludetheChineseAmericanMuseuminLosAngeles,
theUkrainianAmericanArchivesattheMuseumofDetroit,andtheWelshAmerican
HeritageMuseuminOakHill,Ohio.Manyoftheseinstitutionsemphasisea‘hyphenated’
identity,simultaneouslybothethno-specificandAmerican.Thisapproachismirroredat
nationallevelwiththeNationalMuseumoftheAmericanIndianandtheforthcoming
NationalMuseumofAfricanAmericanHistoryandCulture,bothofwhichcombine(orwill
combine)celebrationsofachievementwithnarrativesofforceddisplacementandmigration.
Canada
In1971Canadaadoptedanofficialpolicyofmulticulturalism,thefirstcountrytodoso.The
initialfocusinthepolicywasontherighttothepreservationofone’scultureandethnicity
asapartofCanadiannationalidentity.Multiculturalismwasthenenshrinedinthe1982
28 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

ConstitutionActaspartoftheCanadianCharterofRightsandFreedoms,andfurther
enhancedbythe1987CanadianMulticulturalismAct.Whilethislegislationwasdeveloped
primarilywiththeculturalrightsofCanada’sfrancophoneminorityinmind,ithasalsohad
implicationsfortherepresentationbothoffirstnations’peoplesandmorerecentarrivals.
TheinfluenceofCanadianmulticulturallegislationcanbeseenmostclearlyattheCanadian
MuseumofCivilizationinGatineau,theequivalentofanationalmuseumofCanadian
history.Themuseumincludesthe‘CanadaHall’,anextendedchronologicalgallerywhich
usesfull-scalereconstructionsandrecreationsofbuildingstotellthestoriesofsuccessive
wavesofmigrationtoandwithinCanada.
CanadaalsohasitsownequivalentofEllisIslandatPier21inHalifax.Again,thisisa
symbolicsiteofarrival,whichseekstopreservetheimmigrationshedwhichprocessedmore
thanonemillionnewarrivalsbetween1928and1971,aswellasthestoriesofthepeople
themselves.Othermuseumshavefocusedonmigrationhistoriesthroughtheirtemporary
exhibitionsandeventsprogramme(forexample,‘TheScots–dyedinthewoolMontrealers’
attheMcCordMuseumofCanadianHistory,2003,and‘Encontros:thePortuguese
Community’attheCentred’HistoiredeMontreal,2003);theseexhibitionsaretypically
celebratoryintheirapproach.
AustraliaandNewZealand
MuchasinCanada,explicitmulticulturallegislationhasimpactedonthedevelopmentof
socialhistoryandmigrationmuseumsinAustralia.Theformaladoptionofmulticulturalismas
policyin1978wasfurtherenhancedin1989withtheNationalAgendaforMulticultural
Australia.Australia’stwomigrationmuseumscanbeseeninpartasadirectembodimentof
thesepolicies,providingaspaceandaforumfordifferentgroupstocometogetherand
showcasetheirmigrationhistoriesandcultures.
TheMigrationMuseuminAdelaidewasthefirsttoopenin1986asastategovernment
initiative,followedbytheImmigrationMuseuminMelbournein1998.Bothmuseumshave
permanentdisplaysondifferentaspectsofthemigrationexperiencefromthe1800stothe
presentandsuccessfulcommunityaccessgalleries,wherecommunitygroupscanmounttheir
ownexhibitions(Szekeres2000).MigrationstoriesarealsocentraltotheNationalMuseum
ofAustralia,whichopenedin2001,althoughtheemphasisonculturaldiversityand
aboriginalstruggleshasplacedthemuseumattheheartofAustralia’s‘culturewars’andled
ittobeaccusedofsponsoring‘blackarmbandhistory’.Similarly,inNewZealand,the
MuseumofNewZealand–TePapaTongawera’snarrativesofmigrationareexploredthrough
the‘Passports’gallery,whichlooksatthecontributionmadetoNewZealandby‘different
ethniccommunities’.
TheMigrationHeritageCentreinSydneypresentsanothermodel.Thistooisastate
governmentinitiativebutcriticallywithoutadedicatedbuilding.Operatingoutofthe
PowerhouseMuseuminSydney,thecoreofitsworkliesinvirtualexhibitionsanddigitised
collectionsthroughitswebsite.22 Italsoworksinpartnershipwithnumerousothermuseums
inthestatetopresenttemporaryexhibitionsindifferentvenues,aswellasheritagetrailsand
educationalprogrammes.AswiththeUS,therearealsoseveralexamplesofethno-specific
historymuseums,suchastheGermanMigrationMuseumwithintheHahndorfAcademyin
Hahndorf,andtheGoldenDragonMuseuminBendigo(runbytheBendigoChinese
Association).
Itisworthnotingthattheextenttowhichmigrationmuseumshelpfosterinclusivenotions
ofnationalheritageinthe‘newworld’isdependentonthebroadernarrativecontextin
whichtheyareembedded.WhileEllisIslandiscarefultoincorporatenon-Europeanstories

22.www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au
29 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

intoitsdisplays,itarguablyowesitshighsymbolicstatustothedominanceofwhite
mythologiesofnationalorigins.Amoreextremecaseis‘ElHoteldelosInmigrantes’(House
ofImmigrants)inBuenosAires,whichhasbeenaccusedofcelebratingthehistoryof
EuropeanmigrationtothedetrimentofAfricanandindigenousAmericanstories(Blickstein
2006).Thereisalsoadangerthatinanovertlybi-ormulticulturalcontext,exhibitionson
migrationcanreinforcenotionsofdiscrete,segregatedcommunities,bypositinganessential
‘otherness’(howeverwell-intended).

Europe
Europeanmuseumsofmigrationhavefrequentlydrawninspirationfrominitiativessuchas
EllisIsland.SomecountrieshavesoughttocapitaliseontheinterestofNorthAmericansin
tracingtheirEuropeanancestrybyestablishingemigrationmuseums.ButelsewheretheEllis
Islandmodelhasbeenadoptedbypolicymakerskeentodisplaceromanticisednotionsof
whiteculturalhomogeneity–‘ourancestorstheGauls’intheclassicFrenchformulation–in
favourofmorecomplexnationalstories,groundedinthemovementofpeoplesandcultural
syncretism.Thesenewinstitutionsareseenashavinganimportantroletoplayintackling
xenophobiaandracism.Othercountries,inparticulartheNetherlands,have,however,
chosentodeveloptheirownmodels.
Immigrationmuseums
ThemostambitiousEuropeanprojecttodateisCiténationaledel’histoiredel’immigration
(CNHI),theFrenchnationalmuseumofthehistoryofimmigration.OpenedinOctober2007
inacentralParislocation,itistheonlyimmigrationmuseuminEuropetohavenational
museumstatusandisintendedtoalterperceptionsofimmigrationandcontributetosocial
cohesion.Theideaofanimmigrationmuseumfirstemergedinthelate1980s,aroundthe
timeofthecelebrationsforthebicentenaryoftheFrenchRevolution,whenradicalhistorians
andcivilrightsactivistsbegantoreflectontheabsenceofahistoryofimmigrationfromthe
Frenchpopularhistoricalimagination,despitethefactthat,accordingtoresearchconducted
in1991,onequarterofallFrenchcitizenshadatleastoneforeigngrandparent(Tribalat
1991).
Supportfortheideagainedgroundintheaftermathofthe2002elections,whenthe
SocialistPrimeMinisterLionelJospinwaseliminatedfromthePresidentialelectionsbythe
NationalFront’sJean-MarieLePen.Theprojectforanimmigrationmuseumwasrevivedby
thenewcentre-rightPrimeMinisterJean-PierreRaffarin,withthebackingofPresident
Chirac,whoappointedhisformeradviserandone-timeMinisterofCultureJacquesToubon
toleadtheproject,inthehopethatitwouldpresentthenewlyelectedcentre-right
governmentastoughonracismandsupportiveofFrance’s‘visibleminorities’.Crucially,in
ordertoachievethecreationofanewmuseumToubonwasallocatedthe(reduced)
resourcesofanexistingstate-funded‘racerelations’agency(l’ADRI,l’Agencepourle
DéveloppementdesRelationsInterculturelles).UnlikeitscounterpartsintheEnglish-
speakingworldtheFrenchmuseumisfirmlyrepublican;thepermanentexhibition,which
looksatthehistoryofimmigrationtoFrancesincetheRevolution,isorganisedthematically
ratherthanbycommunity(anearliertemporaryexhibition,‘ToutelaFrance’,whichcoincided
withthevictoryofamulti-racialteaminthe1998footballWorldCup,tookacommunity-
basedapproach).
Evenso,themuseumcouldbesaidtorepresentasofteningoftheconventional
assimilationistlineonFrenchnationalidentity,particularlyinitscommitmenttoworkingin
partnershipwithmigrantcommunityorganisationsanditsformalrecognitionofcultural
diversity.Thismayexplainwhythenewinstitutionhasnotyetbeenvisitedorevenofficially
mentionedbyPresidentSarkozy,whoseMay2007decisiontocreateaMinistryof
ImmigrationandNationalIdentityresultedintheresignationofanumberofkeyexperts
fromthemuseum’sadvisoryandmanagementboards.Thenetworkofover1,500
organisations(includingNGOs,communityheritagegroups,localauthoritiesandother
30 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

heritageorganisations)towhichmemberssubscribebysigninga‘charter’oramoreofficial
partnershipcontract,isperhapsthecentre’sgreatestachievementandtheaspectofthe
projectthatispotentiallymostrelevanttotheUK(Gascoigne2008;seealsothespecial
issueofMuseumInternational59:1-2[2007]).
OneofthekeypartnersintheCNHInetwork,theindependentarchiveofthehistoryof
migration,Génériques,hasalsobeenresponsibleforcreatinganowfour-volumeofficial
guidetothehistoryofimmigrationinFrance’snationalandregionalarchives,withthe
supportoftheFrenchnationalcouncilforarchives.Thefirstthreevolumesappearedin1999
andthefourthin2005.Afifthisplannedtocompletethisremarkablesurvey.
TherehasalsobeenanimmigrationmuseuminDenmarksince1997andasmallmuseum,
partofanarchiveandresourcecentre,inBorås,Swedensince1973.AmuseumforCatalonia
wasscheduledtoopenin2007.PreliminarydiscussionsaboutanItalianmigrationmuseum
werelaunchedinOctober2007ataseminarattheItalianMinistryofForeignAffairs.While
inGermanythereis(asyet)nonationalinstitution,in2007theDocumentationCentreand
MuseumofImmigrationfromTurkey(DokumentationszentrumundMuseumüberdie
MigrationausderTürkeie.V.orDOMiT,agrassrootsorganisationcreatedin1990)fusedwith
theassociationforaGermanmigrationmuseum(MigrationsmuseuminDeutschlande.V.),
foundedin2002inColognefromanetworkofresearchersandactiviststocreatethe
DocumentationCentreandMuseumofImmigrationinGermany(Dokumentationszentrum
undMuseumüberdieMigrationinDeutschland,orDOMiD).Itsstatedaimisthecreationof
anationalmigrationmuseum.23 ThenationalMuseumofGermanHistory(Deutsches
HistorichesMuseum)isalsocollaboratingonamajortemporaryexhibitionwiththeFrench
museumofimmigration,openinginParisinDecember2008beforetravellingtoBerlinin
2009.
Emigrationmuseums
ThecurrentboominemigrationmuseumsinEuropepredominantlyreflectsthegrowthof
‘genealogytourism’,especiallyfromtheUnitedStates.Yetdespitethecommercialincentives
forthedevelopmentofsuchinstitutionsmanyhandlethesubjectinasophisticatedfashion,
encouragingreflectiononnotionsofdiasporaandculturalidentity.Themajorityofthese
institutionsarelocatedinNorthernEurope.
FirstamongtheseistheGermanEmigrationCentreinBremerhaven,whichopenedin2005
andwhichin2007wasawardedtheprestigious‘EuropeanMuseumoftheYear’award
(previousrecentwinnersincludeLondon’sV&A,andtheGuggenheim,Bilbao).The
centrepieceofthemuseumistherecreationoftheexperienceofthetransatlanticcrossing,
buttemporaryexhibitionshavealsocoveredsubjectssuchastheexperienceofthoseforced
intoexilebytheNazis.Thedisplayconcludeswitha‘MigrationForum’,whichinvitesvisitors
toengagewiththecontemporarypictureofglobalmigration(Pes2007).
Theideaofanemigrationmuseumisnotnew;theSwedish‘HouseofEmigrants’,hometoa
museum,alargearchiveofmaterialrelatingtoSwedishemigrationtoNorthAmericaand
familyhistoryresearchlibraryopeneditsdoorsaslongagoas1968.24 TheBremerhaven
centreis,moreover,noteventheonlyinstitutionofitskindinGermany:therearealso
emigrationarchivesorresearchcentresinHamburg,OldenburgandBredstedt,allofwhich
aremembersofAEMI(seebelow).ThereareplanstoturntheHamburgcentreintoanother
museum.25 BackinScandanaviaanemigrationmuseumisplannedinPeraseinajoki,Finland,
Norwayalreadyhasone(theNorwegianEmigrantMuseum)andDenmarkhasnational
emigrationarchives.AlltheseorganisationscatertoaverylargeextenttotheNorth

23.www.domit.de/seiten/ueberdomid/ueberdomid-en.html
24.www.utvandrarnashus.se/eng/
25.www.ballinstadt.de/en/ballinstadt.php?id=9
31 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Americangenealogytourismmarket.ThesamecanbesaidoftheDunbrodyEmigrantShip,
CountyWexford,afullscalereplicaofan1845vesselthatcarriedthousandsofemigrants
fromIrelandtoNorthAmericaoveraperiodofthirtyyears,andtheCobhHeritageCentrein
Cobh,CountyCork.
TheMuseumofEmigrationandtheCommunitiesisarecentPortugueseinitiative,exploring
bothnineteenthcenturyemigrationtoBrazilandtwentiethcenturypopulationflows
betweenPortugalandneighbouringcountriesinWesternEurope.Itdoesnot,however,
addressthePortuguesecolonialdiaspora,despiteitsimportanceinopeningupAfricaand
IndiatoEuropeantradersandthelongevityofthePortugueseEmpire.OtherSouthern
EuropeaninitiativesincludeanemigrationmuseuminSanMarino(established1997)andthe
PietroContiregionalemigrationmuseuminGualdoTadino,Italy.
Migrationmuseums
OneofthefewEuropeaninstitutionstoexplorethemovementofpeoplesmorebroadlyis
theCentredeDocumentationsurlesMigrationsHumainesinLuxembourgwhichsince1995
hasdevelopedandhostedtemporaryexhibitionsaswellasleadinga‘livingmuseum’walkin
thetownofDudelange’s‘littleItaly’neighbourhood.AprojectforaSerbianmigration
museumhasrecentlybeenlaunchedinBelgrade(SrpskiMuzejrasejanjaiseoba)withaview
tohelpingthepeopleofSerbianegotiatethethornyissuesofidentityanddisplacementand
exileintheBalkanregion.Themuseumhasthreesections:immigration,emigrationand
returnmigration(bothvoluntaryandforced).Itdescribesitsvisionas‘SerbiaintheWorld,
WorldinSerbia’.AcampaignforamigrationmuseumisalsounderwayinSwitzerland(Verein
MigrationsmuseumSchweiz,setupin1998).
GoodpracticeandstrategiesfordevelopingmigrationmuseumsinEuropehavebeen
discussedatanumberofinternationalconferencesinthelastfewyears,aphenomenonthat
partiallyexplainstherapidspreadofthemodel.Ofparticularnoteare‘Museum
RepresentationsofMigration’(November2003,HistoricalMuseumofRotterdam),
‘MuseumsandtheHistoryofImmigration:AQuestionforAllNations’(December2004,
NationalLibrary,Paris)and‘MigrationinMuseums:NarrativesofDiversityinEurope’
(October2008,Berlin),allofwhichdreworwilldrawparticipantsfromseveralEuropean
countries.TheUNESCOExpertMeetingonMigrationMuseums,whichtookplaceinRomein
October2006,canalsobeconsideredalandmarkeventintermsofbringingtogether
practitionersaroundthistheme.

‘Housesforculturaldialogue’:thecasestudyoftheNetherlands
Ofexperiencesinothercountries,thatoftheNetherlandscorrespondsmostcloselytothe
UK’s.Bothcountrieshavechosentodeveloppoliciesfocusedontherecognitionofdiversity.
Bothhavelargepopulationswiththeiroriginsinformercolonies.And,critically,inbothcases
officialpolicytowardstheculturesofthesepopulationshascomeunderscrutinyasa
consequenceofhome-grownIslamicextremism(intheNetherlandsthemurderin2004of
film-makerTheovanGoghwasakeymoment).
In2006immigrantsmadeup19.3percentoftheDutchpopulation,accordingtothecentral
bureauofstatistics(CouncilofEurope/ERICarts2009).Thissignificantpopulationwasfelt
bymanyintheheritagesectortobeseriouslyunder-represented,bothasvisitorsandas
heritagepractitioners.TheheritageoftheNetherlands’diversecommunitiesfirstbeganto
beexploredinthe1980sintemporaryexhibitionsattheAmsterdamHistoricalMuseumand
theMuseumofWorldCultures(Wereldmuseum)inRotterdam.In1997theNetherlands
MuseumsAssociation(NMA)setupan‘InterculturalMuseumProgramme’withaviewto
stimulatingprogrammesexploringthethemeofculturaldiversity.From2001–4thiswas
supplementedbyaprogramme,initiatedbyagrassrootsnetworkthe‘NationalOrganization
ofEthnicMinorities’andagainsupportedbytheNMAandtheMinistryofEducationand
Cultureentitled‘TheCulturalHeritageofMinorities’(CultureelErfgoedMinderheden,CEM).
32 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Thisschemebroughttogether45differentorganisations(museums,archives,universities,
communitygroups)tocollaborateonatotalof47projects,includinganexhibitionaboutthe
legacyofslaveryattheWereldmuseum,Rotterdam(2003–4).
Theprojectwasnotcontinuedafter2004andinsteadin2006,partlyinresponsetothe
changedpoliticalclimate,theSecretaryofStateforCultureandtheSecretaryofStatefor
EuropeanAffairsjointlyannouncedthecreationofa‘HouseforCulturalDialogue’,aimedto
reinforcesocialcohesionthroughencouraginginterculturalexchange.Thisrepresenteda
significantshiftawayfromtheearlier‘multicultural’modelwhichprioritisedthe
representationofdifferentminoritycommunities.Four‘houses’orculturalcentreshavenow
beensetupinAmsterdam,Rotterdam,UtrechtandTheHague,underthegroupname
‘Kosmopolis’.26 Atthesametime,facedwithanxietiesaboutthefailureofDutch‘integration’
policy,thestateisincreasinglyseekingtousethehistoryoftheNetherlandstodevelopa
strongersenseofacollectiveidentityandcommonvalues.ThedesireoftheGovernmentto
raiseawarenessaboutthehistoryoftheNetherlandsamongrecentmigrantsiscertainlyone
ofthefactorsbehindthedecisioninJuly2007tocreateanationalhistorymuseumforthe
NetherlandsinArnhem.Atthesametimemoreradicalcriticsofculturalpolicyare
campaigningforthehistoryofmigrationtobeplacedattheheartofanyreworkingofDutch
history:‘Whatweseeas“characteristicallyDutch”isspongedwithinternationalinfluences.
Thereisnosuchthingas“theDutchidentity”.Anationalidentity,justlikeanindividualone,
ismultiple,dynamicandevencontrary.Allofushavecomefromsomewhere.“Our”heritage,
ourhistorycrossesborders’(Stam2005).

Europeannetworks
InadditiontotheUNESCOnetworkmentionedabovethereareEuropeannetworks
dedicatedtopromotingbetterunderstandingofEurope’smigrationheritage.
FirstistheAssociationofEuropeanMigrationInstitutions(AEMI),foundedinDenmarkin
1989,which‘seekstoprovideitsmemberswithaninternationalforumthroughwhichthey
mayadvancetheknowledgeofEuropeanmigration.’ThreeUKorganisationsarecurrently
members:MerseysideMaritimeMuseum(Liverpool),theCentreforMigrationStudiesatthe
Ulster-AmericanFolkPark(Omagh)andNationalMuseumsScotland.Thebenefitsthat
derivefromnetworkingatEuropeanlevelontheseissues(suchasawarenessoffunding
streamsandaccesstopotentialpartners–importantsinceapplicationsforEuropeancultural
fundingcanonlybemadejointlybyorganisationsfromatleasttwomemberstates)donot
currentlyappeartotrickledowntootherorganisationswithmigration-relatedcollections.
AEMImembershaveputtogetheranonlineexhibition,‘TheArtofEuropeanMigration’,
which‘presentsacollectionofimageswhichhelptotellthestoryofthemillionsofpeople
whomovedfromEuropetoNorthAmericaduringthepastmillennium.’27 Theexhibitionsite
ishostedbyQueen’sUniversityBelfast.
AsecondgroupingisEuropeanRoutesofMigrationHeritage,anetworkoftrans-European
culturalitinerariesthatretraceshistoricmigrationroutesacrossEurope.Thenetworkis
managedbytheLuxembourg-basedEuropeanInstituteforCulturalRouteswhichsince1998
hasbeenchargedwithdevelopingthe‘CulturalRoutes’programmeoftheCouncilof
Europe.ThereisalsoaEuropeanJewishheritageroute,androutesexploringtheCeltic,
VikingandNormanheritagesinEuropeancontext.
2008wastheEuropeanYearofInterculturalDialogue.IntheUKthisfundingstreamwas
usedalmostexclusivelytoleveradditionalfundingintothecelebrationsforLiverpool,Capital
ofCulture.28 StrongerleadershipintheUKheritagesectorwithregardtodeveloping

26.www.kosmopolis.nl/
27.http://aem.qub.ac.uk/index2.html#
28.www.interculturaldialogue2008.eu/546.0.html?&L=0&L=0
33 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Europeanpartnerships(onthemesofcommoninterestsuchasmigration)couldhelpchannel
morefundsintothesectorinthefuture.Interculturaldialogueisinfactthekeythemefor
theEuropeanUnion’sCultureProgrammeuntil2013,presentingobviousopportunitiesfor
collaborativeworkonmigrationhistories.
34 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

5.Theinternationalexperience:implicationsfortheUK
While,asthepreviouschaptershowed,thereisalreadyawealthofexpertiseintheUKabout
possibleapproachestorepresentationofmigrationinmuseumsandotherheritagesites,
thereisalsoclearlymuchthatcanbelearnedfromtheseinternationalcomparisons.
Firstandforemost,theextenttowhichmigrationmuseumshelpfosterinclusivenotionsof
nationalheritageisdependentonthebroaderpoliticalcontextinwhichtheyareembedded.
WehaveseenhowthenationalpoliticalclimatesinCanada,Franceandelsewherehave
influencedthedevelopmentofbothmuseumsandthemigrationnarrativeswithinthem;
collectivechoicesabouthowbesttoaccommodatedifferencewithinsocietyarereflectedin
theheritagesectorasmuchifnotmorethanheritagenarrativesreshapedominantattitudes.
Theextenttowhichamuseumofmigrationcanencouragebetterinterculturalrelationsmay
belimitedinsituationswherebothpopularmediaandmainstreampoliticalpartiespromote
ananti-migrationdiscourse,evenifovertimeamuseummaydevelopintoaforumfora
questioningofthisdominantnarrative.Inshort,amigrationmuseumneedstobepartofa
broaderpoliticalcommitmenttodevelopingamorepositivepublicconsensusaboutthe
valueofculturaldiversityandmigrationandnotseenasan‘answer’inandofitself.
Second,theFrenchexampleinparticularillustratestheneedforbothstrongcross-party
leadershipoveranextendedperiodandtheexistenceofanappropriatelyresourcedproject
teamifthedreamofamuseumistobecomeareality.Despitetheattractivenessofstrong
leadershiptoovercomebureaucraticandpoliticalobstacles,thisapproachdoescarryarisk:a
newinstitutionmaystruggletoassertitseditorialindependencefromitsmostprominent
backersandtheirpolicies.High-levelbackingseemsessential,butthemuseumrequiresas
broadacoalitionofsupportersaspossibleifitistoremaincredible.
WithregardtopossiblemodelsfortheUK,EllisIsland,Pier21andBremerhaven’sGerman
EmigrationCentrearetestimonybothtothepowerandthelimitationsofaniconicsite.
TheseemblematicsitesareperhapslessobviousintheUK.Tilbury,Southamptonand
Heathrow,aspointsofentryanddeparture,ratherlackmagic.Leicester,Brixtonor
Spitalfieldsmaybemoreobviouschoices,butareassociatedinthepopularimaginationwith
particularmigrantcommunities.
Moreover,whenthinkingabouttheheritagesectorintheUKitisimportanttounderstand
thedistinctionbetweenactivitiesthathappeninandthroughmuseums,archivesandhistoric
housesandthewideractivityassociatedwithorganisationsandindividualswhoareactively
engagedincaringforandinterpretinghistoricplaces.Manyoftheseplacesaredirectly
linkedtothehistoryofmigrationbutarenotnecessarilyseenassuch,fromplacesof
worshiptorailwaysandcoastline.Thearchaeologicalrecord,too,fromearlyprehistory
onwardsisoverflowingwithevidenceofmigration.Indeed,itmaybethatinBritainweneed
tothinkmoreintermsoficonicareasornetworksofmaterialculture(fromLondon’sEast
End,toCardiff’swaterfrontandthemillsandfactoriesofBradford)thanofsingleiconic
sites,likeEllisIsland.Anetworkapproachishoweverbynomeansincompatiblewitha
migrationmuseum;indeed,acentralinstitutionmightactasalynchpinandhelptoincrease
thevisibilityofallthesesites,astheFrenchexperienceincreasinglydemonstrates.
Therearemanypossiblesolutionstothechallengeofsitingamuseum.Thestoriesthatare
toldinsidecanbalanceassociationswithparticularmigratorymovementsassociatedwiththe
location.Ensuringthatmuchofamuseum’sworkisundertakenawayfromafixedsitealso
addressessomeofthelimitationsoftheiconicsite.
Finallyandmostimportantly,ourexaminationofinternationalheritagesectorinitiatives
highlightsthebreadthofcoverageaswellasmanydifferentapproachestopublic
engagementandinter-culturaldialoguethathavebeenadoptedbymuseumsacrossthe
world.Therearecollectionsthatcouldbeborrowedandexcitingpartnershipswaitingtobe
35 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

developed.Therepresentationofmigrationcan,afterall,neverberestrictedtonational
boundaries.Moreover,anyfutureBritishprojectwouldfinditselfintheenviablepositionof
beingabletobothlearnfromthemistakesanddrawonthesuccessesofitsinternational
counterparts.
36 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector
Appendix1.Keypublicationstohaveaddressedculturaldiversityintheheritagesectorin
thelastdecade
Publicationtitle
CulturalDiversity:Attitudesof
EthnicMinorityPopulations
towardsMuseumsandGalleries
‘WhoseHeritage?TheImpact
ofCulturalDiversityon
Britain’sLivingHeritage’
(conference)
HoldinguptheMirror:
AddressingCulturalDiversityin
London’sMuseums
Reflections:MappingCultural
DiversityinLondon’sLocal
AuthorityMuseumCollections
FocusonCulturalDiversity:the
ArtsinEngland
EnrichingCommunities:How
Archives,Librariesand
MuseumscanWorkwith
AsylumSeekersandRefugees
(conferencepapers)
WorldinOneCity
NewDirectionsinSocialPolicy:
CulturalDiversityforMuseums,
LibrariesandArchives
HandlewithCare:Towardsa
DiversityStrategyforLondon’s
Archives,Librariesand
Museums
Author Date Commissioningbody Findings/recommendations
PhillyDesai 1998 MuseumsandGalleries Highlightsbarrierstoaccessfor
andAndrew Commission ‘ethnicminorities’.
Thomas
Included 1999 ArtsCouncilEngland, Identifiesneedtodevelopmore
keynote HeritageLotteryFund, inclusivemodelofheritage.
addressby MuseumsAssociation,
StuartHall NorthWestArtsBoard
Helen 2003 Archives,Libraries, Suggestsstrategyforcollections
Denniston MuseumsLondon(ALM developmentandimproving
Associates London) access.
ValBott 2003 ALMLondon Mapstheuseofcollectionsinthe
contextofculturallydiverse
communitieswithin28museum
servicesinLondon.Barriersto
diversifyingcollectionsincluded
lackofpoliticalsupport(from
localauthorities)andlimited
opportunitiesforsharingskills
andexperiencewithother
museums.
Ann 2003 ArtsCouncilEngland Surveyintoattendance,
Bridgwood, andOfficeforNational participationandattitudestothe
ClareFenn, Statistics artsamongstculturallydiverse
KarenDust, populations.Identifieshighlevels
LucyHutton, ofinterestandparticipationin
Adrienne theartsamongculturallydiverse
Skelton, communities.87percentofBlack
Megan orBritishBlackand84percent
Skinner ofmixedethnicityrespondents
thoughtthat‘Artsfromdifferent
culturescontributealottothis
country’,asdid71percentof
whiterespondents.
Various 2004 ALMLondon Seriesofcasestudies.
2004 LondonArchives Thisstudy‘establishedapicture
RegionalCouncil ofthewayinwhichthearchives
sectorcurrentlyengageswith
London’sBlack,Asianand
minorityethniccommunities.’(No
longeravailableonline)
TraceyHylton 2004 Museums,Librariesand Overviewofpoliciesconcerning
ArchivesCouncil(MLA) theterm‘culturaldiversity’both
withinandoutsidethesector;
briefanalysisofmaterialsand
statementswhichmaybe
significantinrelationtopublic
policydevelopment.
MichaelBell 2005 ALMLondon Emphasisesneedfordiversity
Associates policytobeembedded
throughoutheritageinstitutions,
includinginareassuchastraining
anddevelopment.
37 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector
RevisitingCollections:AToolkit
fortheCaptureofInformation
toEnhancetheMeaningand
SignificanceofMuseum
CollectionsforNewand
CulturallyDiverseAudiences
DeliveringSharedHeritage,the
Mayor’sCommissiononAsian
andAfricanHeritage
OurLives,OurHistories,Our
Collections
UnearthingourPast:Engaging
withDiversityattheMuseum
ofLondon
CulturalDiversityInterim
Report(unpublished)
CultureShock…Tolerance
Respect,Understandingand
Museums
UnderstandingtheFuture:
PrioritiesforEngland’s
Museums
Diversity
2005 ALMLondon Developingamethodologyfor
communityinvolvementin
collectionsmanagement,
developmentanddescription.
2005 GLA Recommendsactiononworkforce
diversity,community-based
heritage,equitablepartnerships,
inclusiveeducation.
LolaYoung 2005 MuseumofLondon ConsultancyfortheMuseumof
London’s‘Reassessingwhatwe
collect’project.Reviewsliterature
onculturaldiversityandmakes
recommendationsforcollections
strategies.
Raminder 2005 MuseumofLondon ConsultancyfortheMuseumof
Kaur London’s‘Reassessingwhatwe
collect’project.Identifiesthe
needtoworkwithmorecomplex,
cross-cuttingmodelsofdifference
andmakessuggestionsastohow
thismightbedoneinthecontext
oftheMuseumofLondon.
2005 NationalMuseum Recommendsthateachnational
DirectorsConference museumappointamemberofthe
seniormanagementteamto
overseeculturaldiversitypolicy.
ChrisWood 2006 CampaignforLearning Recommendssupporting
andHannah inMuseumsand communitycollectingand
Gould Galleries(CLMG), ‘personalmuseums’;‘an
HomeOffice internationaloutreachprogramme
tocapturethestoriesof
migrationandsettlementfrom
Britishémigrésabroad’;‘culture
boxes’fornewarrivalstoUK;a
one-worldinternational
programmetotakestoriesoflife
inBritaintopeoples’home
countrymuseums;‘culture
gateways’curatedbyheritage
organisationsatpointsofentryto
theUK(ports,airports);a
‘blockbuster’exhibitionexploring
questionsofcitizenshipand
identityandbuildingonmaterial
developedacrossUK.
2006 DCMS Museumsasthe‘buildingblocks
ofbelonging’.
KarenRaney 2006 Engage:TheNational Identifiesthecurrentstrategies
AssociationforGallery forembeddingdiversityinart
Education institutions.Profilesworkof
galleryeducators,artists,curators,
fundersengagingwiththe
diversityagenda.Highlights
obstacles.
38 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector
ArtsCouncilEngland:Diversity
–TheJourney
DiversityanditsDiscontents
CulturalDiversityinBritain:A
ToolkitforCross-CulturalCo-
operation
HeritageDiversityTaskForce
workingpapers(unpublished)
KnowledgeandInspiration:A
StrategyforArchive,Library
andMuseumCollectionsin
London
ArtsandRefugees:History,
ImpactandFuture
Interculturalism:Theoryand
Policy
KeepingCultures:Reporton
theLondonMuseumsHub
RefugeeHeritageProject
Tony 2006 Engage:TheNational Givesanaccountofthegainsto
Panayioutou AssociationforGallery dateintermsofprogrammes,
Education events,fundingandequality
schemeslinkedtoblackand
minorityethnicgroupsand
artists.
KarenRaney 2006 Engage:TheNational Summarisesaseminarofstrong
AssociationforGallery opinionsagainstthepigeonholing
Education exerciseartistsandcuratorsmust
undergoinordertosecure
funding.
PhilWood, 2006 JosephRowntree Culturaldiversityissomething
Charles Foundation whichshouldbeexploredforits
Landryand advantage,ratherthanbeing
Jude assumedtobeaproblemfor
Bloomfield societytodealwith.Arguesthat
nationalgovernmenthasfailedto
respondtocommunitycohesion
inajoined-upwaysofar.
Recommendsgovernment
adoptingastrategyforproductive
diversity,localauthorities
developing‘interculturalspaces
andplaces’andrevisionstothe
teachingofmulticulturalismin
schools,tomakeit‘applicableto
allcommunities,includingthe
indigenouspopulation’.
Various 2007–8 GLA Suggestswaysinwhichthe
recommendationsof‘Delivering
SharedHeritage’(seeabove)can
beimplemented.
CarolineReed 2008 ALMLondon Givescollectionsdiversityasakey
strategicobjective:‘By2010,
archives,librariesandmuseums
willbebetterequippedand
supportedtorespondtothe
needsofLondon’sdiverse
communities,providing
LondonersandvisitorstoLondon
withopportunitiestobuild
knowledgeandcohesion,
understandsharedhistoriesand
celebrateLondon’sunique
identityasaworldcity.’
Hybrid 2008 ArtsCouncilEngland, Mappingexercise,exploringthe
BaringFoundation,Paul waysinwhichartsorganisations
HamlynFoundation areworkingwithrefugeegroups.
Malcolm 2008 BaringFoundation Summarisesacademicliterature
Jones oninterculturalismandthe
implicationsforpolicy.
2008 LondonMuseumsHub Identifies‘strongsigns’that
culturalinclusionhasabearingon
socialinclusion;museumscan
helpovercomebarrierstosocial
inclusion;thereis‘appetite’
amongvisitorsformuseums
sharingdifferentcultures;anda
methodologyforlong-term
evaluation.
39 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Appendix2.Summarytableofinternationalheritageinitiatives
Note:projectsthatappearinitalicsareeithernotyetcompletedorarestillunderdiscussion.

Country Museums Archives Otherinitiatives

UnitedStates •EllisIsland,NewYork,1990 •Variouscommunity -
•LowerEastSideTenementMuseum, archivese.g.Ukrainian
NewYork,1988 AmericanArchives
•DreamsofFreedom(Immigration
Museum),Boston
•Variouscommunitymuseumse.g.
ChineseAmericanMuseum,LosAngeles
•Migrationintegraltovariousnational
museums,includingtheSmithsonian
NationalMuseumofAmericanHistory
andtheNationalMuseumofthe
AmericanIndian
Canada •‘CanadaHall’inCanadianMuseumof - -
Civilization,Gatineau,1989
•Pier21,Halifax,1999
Australia •MigrationMuseum,Adelaide,1986 - •MigrationHeritage
•ImmigrationMuseum,Melbourne,1998 Centre,Powerhouse
•Variouscommunitymuseumse.g. Museum,Sydney
GermanMigrationMuseum,Hahndorf
•MigrationalsointegraltoNational
MuseumofAustralia,Canberra,2001
NewZealand •MigrationintegraltoMuseumofNew - -
Zealand–TePapaTongawera
Argentina •ElHoteldelosImmigrantes,Buenos - -
Aires,1990
France •Citénationaledel’histoirede •Génériques,independent -
l’immigration(nationalimmigration archiveofimmigration
museum),Paris,2007 history,Paris,1987
•MuseumofFrenchEmigrationto
Canada,Tourouvre,2006[1987]
•MigrationintegraltoMuseumof
EuropeanandMediterranean
Civilisations,Marseille
Denmark •Immigrationmuseum,Farum, •DanishEmigration -
Copenhagen,1997 Archives,Aalborg,1932

Sweden •TheHouseofEmigrants,Växjö,1968 •Immigrationarchiveand -

resourcecentre,Borås
(includessmallmuseum),
1973
Spain •Immigrationmuseum,Catalonia - -
Italy •Discussionsunderwayaboutnational - -
immigrationmuseum
•PietroContiregionalemigration
museum,GauldoTadino
Germany •DokumentationszentrumundMuseum •Hamburg -
überdieMigrationinDeutschland •Oldenburg
(DOMiD),Köln,since2007 •Bredstedt
•GermanEmigrationCentre,
Bremerhaven,2005
•Emigrationmuseum,Hamburg
Finland •EmigrationMuseum,Peraseinajoki - -
40 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

Country Museums Archives Otherinitiatives

Norway •NorwegianEmigrantMuseum,Hamar, - -
1988
Portugal •MuseumofEmigrationandthe - -
Communities,virtualmuseum:
www.museu-emigrantes.org/,2001
SanMarino •Emigrationmuseum,1997 - -

Ireland •CobhHeritageCentre,CountyCork - •DunbrodyEmigrant

Ship,CountyWexford,
2005
Luxembourg - - •Documentationcentre
onmigrations,Dudelange,
1995
Serbia •Migrationmuseum - -
Netherlands •Placeofmigrationintheforthcoming - •Housesofcultural
nationalhistorymuseumcurrentlyunder dialogue(Kosmopolis),
discussion since2006
41 ippr|StoriesOldandNew:MigrationandidentityintheUKheritagesector

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