Abstract

It is argued that in dealing with multi-ethnic users and topics, the museum has the potential to act as an inclusive social agent in the integration of new citizens. This article discusses some of the practical and theoretical challenges that the museum meets in working across cultural and social borders. Based on a Danish research project focusing on the development of culture and identity in a multiethnic, social housing area south of Copenhagen, the role of the museum is discussed with reference to contemporary museological theories about the potential inclusivity of the museum. We consider the following questions: How can the museum include multi-ethnic users? How does immigration and multiculturality influence the meaning of the sources? How can the museum preserve contemporarily controversial issues such as integration in the collective memory?