MeLa* European Museums in an age of migrations is a four year multidisciplinary and collaborative Research Project involving nine European Partners, which had been funded in 2011 within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission.
Adopting the notion of “migration” as a paradigm of the contemporary global and multi-cultural world, MeLa investigated the role of museums in 21st century Europe, and their ongoing evolution triggered by accelerated mobility, fluid circulation of information, ideas and cultures, and the consequent increase of cultural encounters, cross-fertilisation and hybridisation of societies and identities, as well as by the politic, economic and cultural processes pertaining to the creation and consolidation of the European Union. By analysing contemporary museums both as cultural spaces and physical places, MeLa aimed at identifying innovative practices which may enhance their role in fostering mutual understanding, social cohesion, and a sharper awareness of an inclusive European identity.