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July 2000
I am a volunteer at a social history museum in a town where asylum seekers have settled in recent years. I have been dismayed by the xenophobic tone of the coverage in the local press about their presence, which I fear reflects widely held views.
I would like the museum to organize an exhibition that paints a truer picture of the circumstances of the departure of these exiles from their home countries and presence in ours. This could be put in the context of previous generations of refugee communities who have settled in the town.
I feel it is a legitimate role for a museum to dispel prejudice and misconceptions. Do I have the right to suggest to the full time staff that such an exhibition be held?
As a citizen of a democracy that enjoys a free press one way in which you can express your concerns is by writing in to contest views expressed in the local paper in the knowledge that your letter stands some chance of being published. The press has a duty to report, without necessarily condoning, both majority and minority opinions and to permit views to be aired, except those, such as those which promote racial hatred, whose expression is illegal.
The museum is a social institution, and some of its many purposes overlap with that of other social institutions, such as the press. For a social history museum some of those purposes include reflecting the identity of the community and documenting social change.
Whereas the press produce day to day reports and commentary on events, some of which degenerate into populist misrepresentation, museums are able to adopt longer-term, more deeply researched perspectives offering background which counter knee-jerk sensationalism and indeed promote social cohesion.
The exhibition you advocate is one that may well help to do this. It would probably be welcomed by the full time staff of the museum as an opportunity to offer ethical leadership, a perfectly legitimate role for the museum to take on. All of the museum's many purposes, however, are underpinned by its core duty of enabling people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment.
If the exhibition you suggest cannot be anchored in material evidence it may end up a counter-productive exercise in verbal counter propaganda.
One way in which the museum might inform local perceptions is for it to work with groups of asylum seekers to assemble material that reflects the culture they have left behind.
A treasured family snapshot may have a moving story to tell, and one with which most people might empathise. Be careful, though to take professional advice before engaging people in the recollection of what may often be very painful memories.
The best way to avoid alienating traditional friends of the museum in the established community is to involve them in the work you do with recent arrivals. Exhibition is only one way for the museum to promote a more tolerant mood in a local community. If you have the space and facilities, the museum might also become a centre for other forms of social interaction, carefully tailored to the needs of particular groups.
Be realistic about museum's capacity to address credibly the issues you have outlined. Good intentions are not enough and could if misdirected, actually make matters worse. However, you, like every member of staff, paid or unpaid, indeed like every member of the community served by the museum, including its newest members, are an important stakeholder.
You have every right to make your views known and the museum has a duty to listen. Go ahead and open up debate within the museum on the issues that concern you. The present government has, after all, stated that museums can and should contribute to positive social change.
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