Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Politically, socially, and culturally, Northern Ireland is a complex place. Traditionally viewed as a two community space, our history has been documented within local museums with a particular focus on providing equality of representation and engagement to both Nationalist and Unionist communities. Examples exist which highlight the drive to provide a dual perspective on our historical narrative. Internationally acclaimed exhibitions such as the ‘Road to Northern Ireland’ in the Tower Museum, Derry, demonstrate a long term commitment to presenting the history of the conflict in ways that foster a sense of shared identity and experience within the divided community. The myth of Northern Ireland as a two community space has long been exposed as an untruth. Eclipsed by a continual narrative that focused on the nationalist/unionist conflict, the long settled migrant communities have received little recognition concerning their longevity or role in Northern Irish history. The voices of these communities remain absent from ‘the troubles’ narrative, while new migrant communities have generally been represented through tokenistic forms of engagement. However, with an increased focus on the diversity of population, and a commitment to addressing growing issues around race relations, museums have recognised the need to provide greater representation of the whole community. Drawing upon original doctoral research, this study explores how museums in Northern Ireland have adapted new forms of representation and engagement with minority communities and how the cultural and arts sector is renegotiating the relationship between the local and migrant populations through new forms of intercultural practice.