Europe is built on a diverse and vibrant mosaic of cultures, languages, and traditions. The motto of the European Union “United in Diversity” encapsulates its commitment to celebrating this diversity, while fostering a sense of shared identity and common purpose. Yet, we live in a time where political forces combine pro-EU policies with critical stances towards immigration and social integration. A growing number of European governments point to multiculturalism as a negative phenomenon that leads to economic inequality, social fragmentation, and a loss of cultural identity.

Identity on the Line (I-ON) is a large-scale cooperation project, co-funded by the European Union, conducted by six cultural history museums and one university from seven European countries between 2019 and 2023. It aimed to explore the long-term consequences of traumatic experiences that follow war, forced migration, and the search for a new life and identity in a foreign land. And it studied how these experiences also shape the lives of the second and third generation of migrants.

The project findings are summarized in publications, a joint travel exhibition that has toured Europe, and now also as a series of recommendations for policymakers.

These recommendations aim to contribute to long-term solutions for an issue that is often seen as a short-term urgency. I-ON provides ideas for initiatives that are designed to foster societal cohesion and to avoid critical pitfalls on the way to more sustainable societies. In this regard, museums and academia can make a real difference in the communities they operate in – by providing a safe space where unheard voices can be heard, by facilitating a unique access to information on sensitive experiences, and by creating an arena for participation and intercultural dialogue. These are crucial components in the healing of collective trauma.

We invite you to attend an international conference to learn more about how to deal with the long-term consequences of migration processes.

In the morning session at the Norway House, you will have the opportunity to hear directly from the leaders of the seven research projects conducted across Europe and attend a short documentary screening on the experience of Crimean Tatars in Ukraine.

In the afternoon, at the EU Parliament, you are invited to a roundtable with high-level policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the project findings and recommendations for policy-making.