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:[email protected] 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