European inventory of
societal values of culture

Salgado & Patuzzi - Promoting the Inclusion of Europe’s Migrants and Minorities in Arts and Culture

Salgado, L., & Patuzzi, L. (2022). Promoting the Inclusion of Europe’s Migrants and Minorities in Arts and Culture. Migration Policy Institute (MPI). Washington DC USA.

This report, which draws in part on interviews with cultural professionals from across Europe, explores approaches to strengthening the participation of migrant background and minority communities in art and culture – particularly by leveraging the contributions of museums, theatres, libraries, community associations, and other players that make up the cultural fabric of cities. Over the past decade, and mainly since the large-scale arrivals of migrants and refugees in 2015–16, a plethora of initiatives have emerged across Europe that aim to improve the inclusion of migrants, refugees, and minorities in art and culture, often led by cultural institutions and civil society organisations. Most of these strategies fall into three broad categories:

The authors argue that strategies to increase the participation and representation of migrants and ethnic minorities in art and culture should think bigger. There is a need to look beyond single initiatives and consider the broader structures of resource allocation and different layers of inclusion, from access to representation, production, and decision-making. While cultural institutions have pioneered promising approaches, policymakers have a crucial role in systematising and advancing the inclusion of migrants and minorities in art and culture in partnership with these institutions. 

Salgado & Patuzzi “Promoting the Inclusion of Europe’s Migrants and Minorities in Arts and Culture”