On Continuities. Migration and Institutional (Non-)Change

Abstract

Migration as a driver of cultural change has led not only to reflexions about the role of cultural institutions in producing narratives on belonging or nations but also to criticism of the institutional structures themselves. Manifold approaches have evolved that discuss how cultural institutions can more aptly represent the diversity of migration societies. These have inspired artistic projects, educational programmes and sometimes also institutional change. However, in Germany, these promising developments still seem to be exceptional. While the debates have been around for quite some years and seem to be all-encompassing and happening in various cultural institutions in diverse forms, we hardly notice any change in institutional structures. The chapter aims to identify reasons for this discrepancy based on two case studies of qualitative research in the middle-sized town of Sindelfingen and in Hamburg.