The Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration is a museum of
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...
history located in the
12th arrondissement of Paris The 12th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le douzième'' ("the twelfth"). Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, it is ...
at 293, avenue Daumesnil. The nearest métro station is
Porte Dorée. It is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; an admission fee of €4.50 is charged.
The museum was conceived in 1989 by Algerian immigrant
Zaïr Kedadouche, supported initially by historians including
Pierre Milza
Pierre Milza (16 April 193228 February 2018) was a French historian. His work focused mainly on the history of Italy, the history of Italian immigration to France and the history of fascism, of which he was a recognized specialist.
He was prof ...
and
Gérard Noiriel, but the idea was paused in 1993. The 1998 French World Cup win reunified the people of France, and former Prime Minister
Lionel Jospin
Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
approved its creation almost immediately. Years passed and hope for the Museum to come to fruition faded until President
Jacques Chirac was reelected in 2002. He put Jacques Toubon in charge of bringing the Museum to life with a mission to "contribute to the recognition of the integration of immigrants into French society and advance the views and attitudes on immigration in France". It opened without public ceremony in late 2007 under his successor, President
Nicolas Sarkozy, amid political controversy in which eight of the twelve academics involved in the project resigned.
The museum occupies the
Palais de la Porte Dorée
The Palais de la Porte Dorée is an exhibit hall located on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes at 293, avenue Daumesnil, 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. It now houses the Musée de l'Histoire de l'Immigration, as well as a tropical aquarium ...
, a historical monument in Paris, which was built in 1931 to serve as the Colonial International Exhibition’s museum dedicated to the colonies. Owing to the Palais de la Porte Dorée’s colonial history and deep ties to the French Empire, space in the museum is dedicated to informing guests of its history, and one of the first temporary exhibits was of the year 1931. However, there is also some controversy surrounding the theme of reducing all immigration to colonialist origin which can be seen as demeaning and confusing to some. The museum was also formerly the home of the
Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie The Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie (National Museum of Arts of Africa and Oceania) was a museum formerly located in the Palais de la Porte Dorée on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes at 293, avenue Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissem ...
, on the edge of the
Bois de Vincennes
The Bois de Vincennes (), located on the eastern edge of Paris, is the largest public park in the city. It was created between 1855 and 1866 by Emperor Napoleon III.
The park is next to the Château de Vincennes, a former residence of the King ...
. Its tropical aquarium is still located in the cellar and remains open to the public. It contains over 1100 m² of exhibition space devoted primarily to the history and culture of immigration in France from the early nineteenth century to the present. A permanent installation, "Benchmarks", contains interactive exhibits presenting immigrant stories in multimedia form. The Abdelmalek Sayad multimedia library house, which is located in the museum, contains a diverse collection of books, films, and other types of media related to the themes of the museum. The collection is accessible online through the museum’s portal.
The museum's collections are organized by three main themes: images including photography by
Eugène Atget,
Gérald Bloncourt
Gérald Bloncourt (4 November 1926 – 29 October 2018), also known as Gérard Bloncourt, was a Haitian painter and photographer resident in the suburbs of Paris, France. Born in the small city of Bainet, in Haiti's Sud-Est department, Bloncour ...
,
Robert Capa
Robert Capa (born Endre Ernő Friedmann; October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a Hungarian-American war photographer and photojournalist as well as the companion and professional partner of photographer Gerda Taro. He is considered by some t ...
,
Yves Jackson
Yves may refer to:
* Yves, Charente-Maritime, a commune of the Charente-Maritime department in France
* Yves (given name), including a list of people with the name
* ''Yves'' (single album), a single album by Loona
* ''Yves'' (film), a 2019 Fren ...
,
Jean Jacques Pottier
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
, etc., as well as prints, posters, drawings press, cartoons, comic books, audiovisual materials; objects of daily life; and works of art concerning immigration, territory, borders, and roots.
In May 2019 it hosted an event with the artist
Adelaide Damoah
Adelaide Damoah RWA FRSA (born ) is a British painter and performance artist of Ghanaian descent who uses her body as the starting point for much of her work. Themes of particular interest include feminism, colonialism, religion and spirituality ...
during
Museum Week
Museum Week is a global event that takes place during one week each year with the participation of museums, associations, and cultural institutions.
Museum Week started in 2014 with a collaboration of twelve French museums wishing to expand thei ...
.
See also
*
List of museums in Paris
There are around 130 museums in Paris, France, within city limits. This list also includes suburban museums within the "Grand Paris" area, such as the Air and Space Museum.
The sixteen museums of the City of Paris are annotated with "VP", as well ...
References
General references
Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigrationParisInfo descriptionParisInfo article on museum openingEvene.fr article on museum opening (French)La République des Lettres, Paris, samedi 28 juin 2008 (French)My Paris Your Paris description
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cite nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration
Museums in Paris
Immigration to France
Buildings and structures in the 12th arrondissement of Paris
History museums in France
Museums of human migration
National museums of France