Public Representations of Immigrants in Museums

This book offers an interactionist perspective on theories of public representation, knowledge and immigration in museum institutions. Examining how a Franco-German museum exhibition represents immigrants and exposes public stereotypes, the analysis follows the process of the production and reception of the exhibition as it travelled from Paris to Berlin. The author proposes a microsociological contextualisation analysis integrating discourse analysis and ethnography to compare formats of museum work, social interaction in the exhibition and mass media debates. Visitor receptions to of the different exhibition versions, concerning politically-charged voices and even accusations of censorship, reveal the symbolic nature of interactions in museums. These interactions are geared towards securing immigrants a place in national collective memory, performing debate and dialogue on integration and providing opportunities for personal encounters and reflection. This book will appeal to students and researchers interested in work on the intersection of sociology, cultural studies, and discursive psychology, in methods of discourse analysis and ethnography; and to practitioners working in museums.