Museums in Times of Migration and Mobility: Rethinking Museums' Perspectives, Collections, Collaborations and Representations

International migration and mobility have implications for many sectors in society, including the museum sector. To be in tune with the times and relevant to all citizens, the museum sector needs, more than ever, to address issues that transcend national borders. As important educational institutions often visited by, amongst others, schoolchildren, museums have the potential to affect our notions of the world. By making museums places for exploring and learning about both the past and the present of issues such as migration, mobility, transnational connections and human rights, they not only become more relevant as cultural institutions, but may also facilitate positive changes in how people relate to each other in the wider society – thereby ultimately contributing to society’s sustainable development. This book seeks to contribute to the discussion about how museums can improve their engagement in issues of migration and becoming more inclusive.

Pieter Bevelander is professor of International Migration and Ethnic Relations at the Department of Global political studies and Director of MIM, Malmö Institute of Migration, Diversity and Welfare, Malmö University, Sweden. His main research field is international migration and different aspects of immigrant integration as well the reactions of natives towards immigrants and minorities. He has published widely in international journals and is currently in the editorial board of both the Journal of International Migration and Ethnic Studies and Comparative Migration Studies. He is a member of the Swedish government commission on Migration DELMI, a member of the Executive Board of the IMISCOE network and a board member of the Metropolis network. He has produced reports on migration and integration for several international organizations like the FRA, OECD, IOM and MPI.

Christina Johansson is a senior lecturer in International Migration and Ethnic Relations at Malmö University and was for several years affiliated to the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for European History and Public Spheres in Vienna. She has conducted a research project concerning the collaboration between museums and schools that was funded by the Swedish Research Council. Currently, she is leading another research project on museums as arenas for integration. In addition to her studies of how museums address issues of migration and diversity, she has published extensively on the relations between state, nation, migration policy and the representation of migration.