From Representation to Participation: The Voice of the Immigrants in Italian Migration Museums

A survey of the current situation in Italy demonstrates a conflict between the well-rooted presence of migrants and the resistance of museums on issues related to immigration. The paper analyzes recent examples of Italian migration museums, describing the negotiation fields and the underlying participatory practices in three particular examples: the Galata-Museo del Mare e delle Migrazioni in Genoa, the Museo Narrante Nave della Sila in Calabria and the Migration Museum in Lampedusa. What is the role of the migrants in these museums? How do they take part in the narration? Which museums have listened to the plight of the migrants, and how? The thesis is that migration museums are still rather immature for what concerns participation and community involvement, but they may learn a great deal, notably from both anthropology and contemporary art museums.