Call for Expressions of Interest: Multaka - creating ‘meeting points’ for intercultural dialogue, belonging and inclusion

12.08.2025
Museum für Islamische Kunst

The Multaka project of the Museum for Islamic Art is calling for expressions of interest to participate in an interdisciplinary research workshop. The two-part workshop, held in Berlin and Oxford, will explore migration, cultural heritage, inclusion, health and well-being through heritage projects and community-based approaches.

The Museum for Islamic Art, with its Multaka project, invite scholars, researchers, policy makers, practitioners, community researchers, and museum professionals to participate in an interdisciplinary research workshop that explores potential research threads and the intersections of migration, inclusion, health and wellbeing, cultural heritage and museology.

 

The first workshop in Berlin will take place on 16 October 2025, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Haus Bastian. A second workshop will follow in February 2026 in Oxford, with the exact date to be announced. The workshops will be held predominantly in english. 

The workshops will provide a collaborative space for critical dialogue, knowledge exchange and potential areas of research. It will use the foundations of the Multaka projects in Berlin and Oxford to explore methodologies, and how museums and cultural institutions engage with issues of migration, inclusion, identity, care, and belonging. A particular focus will be on approaches that highlight lived experiences, co-production, and transformative practices in museum and heritage work.

The workshops will prioritise dialogue, reflection, and building future research collaborations. Themes may include (but are not limited to):

• Representing inclusive histories and diasporic narratives in museums
• Inclusive and participatory practices (in heritage and research)
• Heritage and wellbeing: social prescribing, storytelling, trauma, and healing
• Museums as spaces of care, inclusion and belonging
• Museums as a space of postcolonial negotiations
• Intersectional approaches to belonging and exclusion
• Policy, ethics, and community-led practices in heritage work

The team of the Museum for Islamic Art is now welcoming expressions of interest to participate in the workshop! Applications should address the following questions: 1.) What topic, research question, discussion point, or case study would you like to contribute? 2.) How does this contribute to the further development of your work or research? Applications should include an abstract (max. 300 words) and a short biography (max. 150 words). The deadline for expressions of interest is 5 September 2025. Applications in German or English, as well as general inquiries, should be sent to Sarah Fortmann-Hijazi (s.fortmann-hijazi@smb.spk-berlin.de); applications in English should be sent to Nicola Bird (nicola.bird[at]hsm.ox.ac.uk).