Museums, inclusion and education - Lectures by Antonella Poce, guest lecturer

10.15 - Welcome by Fiona Lüddeckecurator and head of the Petit Palais museum and, Mrs Isabelle BriansoVice-President for Culture at Avignon University

10.30am to 11.45am - Talk (in English) by Antonella Poce 

Abstract: Italian migration in the early decades of the twentieth century was a global phenomenon, involving millions of individuals seeking better socio-economic opportunities (Gabaccia, 2000). This migratory movement, supported by transnational networks and marked by strong identity bonds, led to the creation of complex diasporas, wherein interactions between origin and destination produced hybrid forms of belonging (Choate, 2008). In this regard, the marginalization faced by Italian emigrants in their host countries is particularly revealing of the inclusion challenges that contemporary immigrants to Italy still confront (Hobsbawm, 1992). The significance of developing an inclusive memory, capable of bridging past experiences with current migratory realities, is evident in the initiatives sponsored by the Museo Nazionale dell'Emigrazione Italiana (MEI) in Genoa. Through a multimedia and documentary exhibition, the MEI encourages critical reflection on migratory processes, highlighting how the historical departures of Italians may offer valuable insights into the present-day context (Colucci, 2008). This cultural undertaking, beyond preserving historical heritage, contributes to a broader project of social cohesion, where shared memory becomes a tool for mutual recognition and intergenerational solidarity. In this context is placed the Inclusive Memory project, funded within a programme developed by Roma Tre University to promote interdisciplinary research. The Project had the aim of promoting the creation of a common and shared social memory, achieved through a social inclusion system that involves the museum. The project is carried out using new teaching methods and innovative digital instruments with the scope of developing museum visitors' soft skills, especially amongst social disadvantaged groups, migrants in particular, and strengthening the channels and tools of cultural-language mediation. The involvement of museums in social integration is built through envisaging the museum space as an educational place, where every social category (regardless of differences in age, cultural level, social status) manages to interact with it and to develop skills such as Critical thinking, Communication, Cooperation, acquisition and interpretation of information (Sandell, 2002; Nardi, 2014; Poce, 2018; Poce, 2019). Museums have often built a strong bond with the history of the territory in which they are situated, even if, some social groups (such as refugees, first and second-generation migrants and people with memory disabilities) are frequently excluded by the cultural and artistic life of the territory itself and, as a consequence, do not play an active role in the creation and sharing of a collective social memory. That is why reflection on and action around inclusive teaching, also in informal learning contexts, is necessary: the establishment and re- affirmation of individual rights, participation in the community as well as equal opportunities issues cannot remain mere statements of principle (Chiappetta Cajola, 2014), but they should represent the ultimate and essential purposes of any educational action. The main results of the project will be presented, with a special focus on the learning methodologies and tools that have proven most effective in terms of promoting the social and cultural inclusion of migrants.