Cultural Change in Post-Migrant Societies

Europe has changed from a continent of emigration to one of immigration since the 1960s. In this process, European societies have become more diverse in terms of the origins, languages, religions and cultural traditions of the people living together in the national territories. However, this does not automatically imply a change in how local, regional and national communities define, narrate and represent themselves and their cultures. Rather, many societies are currently in a process of debate about how to tell themselves and their stories. In this debate, some actors cling to national narratives that have imagined these societies as homogeneous communities with one common language, history and culture since the 19th century. Others demand that these narratives be adapted to the new multicultural and multilingual reality. This struggle does not only take place in politics. Indeed, writers, singers, poetry slammers etc. have often countered the growing political mobilisation against migrants and have therefore come to be regarded as major agents of change. Cultural institutions, on the other hand, such as museums and theatres, which contributed to the invention and representation of national communities, cannot not take a stance in this struggle. Either they silently continue telling these invented traditions or they start changing these. Against this background, the publication Cultural change in post-migrant societies: Re-imagining communities through arts and cultural activities addresses the following questions: Does migration lead to cultural change in the sense of introducing a new social self-image? And what role do arts and culture play in this process? The volume offers insights into new theoretical approaches that should make it possible to analyse cultural change through migration. It focuses on concrete activities in local contexts and their significance for national narratives. Finally, it presents newer approaches in migration studies that use artistic methods and work with cultural institutions to drive cultural change. The chapters offer insights into processes of cultural change through migration in seven national contexts in Europe (Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom). In doing so, they not only discuss a variety of artistic and cultural practices from literature, film and music via carnivals and national holidays to data visualisation and digital storytelling, but also address processes of change in cultural institutions.