Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Language is one of the key means for museum communication. It can help to narrate and contextualise tangible heritage as well as raise accessibility and inclusion. However, it is also a part of power relations both within museums and between museums and visitors. In Sweden, the museum sector has developed a scope of approaches in representing migration and minorities. However, the issue of language is often overlooked. Not many of the exhibitions that display cultural diversity provide texts or guided tours in the language of the ethnic groups they are representing. During 2016-2017, a pilot study for the new democracy and migration museum in Southern Sweden was run by the municipality of Malmö, the city where people of 179 nationalities live. The study resulted in the Museum of Movements project which is supposed to address the integration issues as well as contribute to different forms of public engagement. In 2018, a “trial museum” is planned to be established that aims to become a substantial institution in 2019. The paper analyses current practices of using multilingual environments in Swedish museums and internationally and focuses on developing the language strategy for the future museum to avoid exclusion in the museum space.