Migration, Europe and Museums. Exploring the Role of the Museum in Addressing Migration within the Context of Museology and European Cultural Policies through the Exhibitions Memoria e Migrazioni – MeM and I Am a Native Foreigner

Abstract

Museums have greatly transformed in the last twenty years, changing their role within society. Today, museums focus not only on conservation, but on providing a social service that can improve the citizens' well-being. An example of this change is an increase in cultural institutions dedicated to the theme of migration; a topic that has become highly relevant in contemporary multi-ethnic societies, and it is discussed both across academic disciplines and in the public sphere. This MA thesis analyses two exhibitions as case studies, both focusing on the central theme of migration: Memoria e Migrazioni – MeM permanently held at the Galata Museo del Mare in Genoa (IT), and I Am a Native Foreigner on display at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (NL) from September 22, 2017 until June 3, 2018. The aim of this research was to understand how migration is portrayed, and how the museological practices of these two museums has been influenced by contemporary cultural policy and museology.