Migrations, human odyssey

In the public debate, the issue of migration is largely treated as a threat, a danger or a crisis. ‘Invasion’, ‘intrusion’, ‘replacement’, ‘wave’, ‘submersion’... These terms, used to describe migration, fuel a whole range of prejudices. They contribute to constructing a certain perception of people who migrate, and to the impression that the phenomenon is massive and sudden.

When we look back to the origins of humankind, however, we see that migration has always existed. The human species has been shaped by contact, exchange, encounters, and gene flow.

In the age of globalisation, human mobility has never been so widespread. At the same time it reveals the social, economic and environmental inequalities that exist within contemporary societies.

For some of the world's population, such movement is disparaged, while for others it is encouraged. Yet it could be seen as an opportunity for cultural exchange between populations and individuals.

At the level of living organisms, migration is also essential to the development and survival of species: there can be no life without movement!

The exhibition

Drawing on a number of scientific disciplines (anthropology, archaeology, demography, genetics, sociology, linguistics, etc.), this 600-square-metre exhibition aims to take a step back and deconstruct preconceived notions about migration. It provides the keys you need to understand how such commonplaces are forged.

How has migration evolved? What has changed since the last century? What are the main patterns today? How many people live outside their country of birth? How can we understand the often complex data?

A dynamic exhibition design and a host of interactive features will introduce you to some of the concepts associated with this subject. The testimonies of people who have migrated reveal a broad range of profiles, causes and trajectories. Through objects steeped in personal history and works of art, most of them created by migrant artists, you'll discover a range of unique perspectives on this particular life experience.

Movement is an integral part of our heritage as a human species, and the exhibition takes us back in time to discover prehistoric migration and gene flow.

In a world in perpetual motion, humans never move alone, but with a certain environment: other animals, plants, micro-organisms, as well as their language, their cuisine, indeed a whole culture! All travelling, mingling and mixing. We are heirs to thousands of years of migration, and this can be seen in our current societies, so richly diverse.

What would a world be without movement? And if we had to migrate tomorrow, what means would be available to us? Taking a contemporary look at migration and its recent developments, the exhibition provides plenty of food for thought.

Curators

Scientific curators

• Sylvie Mazzella, sociologist, director of research at the CNRS, Aix Marseille University ; 
• Christine Verna, palaeoanthropologist, CNRS research fellow - Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. 

Exhibition curators

• Mathilde Beaujean, Exhibition Project Manager ; 
• Éléonore Gros, Exhibition Project Manager.