Jakob Hurrle

1 The practice

2 Hints for an evaluation

2.1 Strenghts

The presented practice is only one of many current initiatives in Germany which seek to present the topic of migration in form of exhibitions and museums. This tendency can be interpreted as recognition of the fact that the migration which took place during the post-war period has fundamentally changed society.

In the opinion of the author of this study, the migration exhibition of the Kreuzberg Museum is interesting for the following reasons:

• Chronological Approach: In the public perception, migration is often perceived as a new development that threatens the “natural” homogeneity of society. However, this perception does not correspond with the historical truth. The European cities have always functioned as “machines of integration”, which received and gradually assimilated people from different cultural backgrounds. Since it is very common to see migration as something new and threatening, it seems a very reasonable strategy to refute this perception by deploying a historical/chronological perspective. Starting their narrative with the example of the Huguenots, the exhibition curators succeeded to show that the very foundation of Kreuzberg is linked to the phenomenon of migration.
• Local Approach: Complicated social developments invite to exaggerate problems and to oversee the human dimension. It seems therefore a positive aspect of the exhibition’s conception that the exhibition is limited to a certain area (reflecting the geographically restricted mission of the museum). Especially if most of the visitors are local, one can assume that the local focus increases the interest and acceptance of potential visitors.
• Flexible Approach:  The exhibition concept allows an easy modification of the content through changing certain parts or adding additional objects and information. Due to this flexible interpretation of the word “steady exhibition”, the museum is able to reflect the district’s highly diverse character despite of the constrains imposed by the limited space.