ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with contemporary societal and political issues, such as migration and the refugee crisis, is something that concerns only those museums whose subject matter directly relates to the specific topics. It explores activism in practice within the museum context and how it relates to the organisation’s mission. The chapter attempts to address some common concerns, such as the fear of alienating people and losing audiences. It explains about the ubiquitous call for museums to function as ‘safe spaces.’ The chapter discusses the creation of empathetic, rather than safe spaces, where people are invited to acknowledge the existence of a plurality of views, in the first place, respectfully and at a personal level so that we may negotiate living together in society. Migration is not a new phenomenon but, according to the United Nations, it is global in scale and growing ‘in scope, complexity and impact’.
