Ticking the box? Material cultures of migration in Museum Rotterdam and the Netherlands Open Air Museum

For a few years now, Rotterdam’s policy makers and cultural actors have been debat- ing the possibility of establishing a new museum in the southern, demographically di- verse part of the city that would both focus on the history of migration to Rotterdam and support research on Rotterdam as a site where multiple historical ‘migration corri- dors’ have resulted in a diverse contemporary cityscape. So far, plans for this ‘Muse- um op Zuid’ or ‘MuZu’, including a research centre for policy makers and researchers alike, have not materialized. Exactly the same debate also takes place in Amsterdam: from time to time professionals are invited to meetings to discuss plans for a migration museum in the Dutch capital. Although the question as to whether such a museum could be of significance for urban environments and local citizens is a highly valid and socially relevant discussion, we also wonder what this preoccupation with migration might signify for museums themselves as institutions that collect, curate, display and research material culture. But how does migration become a theme of interest and re- search in museums