ABSTRACT
In 1993 the Museum of London organized a pioneering exhibition, The Peopling of London. This tackled controversial themes: the cultural diversity of the city; the histories and experiences of its people; and the implications for ideas about immigration and national identity. It also set out to attract new audiences, in particular members of London’s “ethnic minority” communities. Nearly one hundred thousand people attended an event widely seen to have been successful and considered by evaluators to have achieved its main aims (Museum of London 1996, 14).1 But some Londoners were absent from the displays and seldom appeared among the visitors: the city’s refugees made only a passing appearance.
