Tracking Relocation and Adaptation Throughout History

Archives represented in this exhibit. Housed in collections from left to right: "Immigration and Folk Healing," "Immigration, Reparations, and Revolution," "An Overlooked Identity: The Muslim American Experience," and "Immigration, Reparations, and Revolution."

Sourced from diverse collections, this exhibit highlights ethnic communities' struggles in attempting to relocate, relate to other cultures as the minority, and ultimately, uphold their ethnic culture simultaneously. With a unique twist to each collections' situation and focus, we will examine and understand the experiences of Haitian, Latinx, and Muslim American communities at different points in history through archival analysis.

The purpose of these collections is to expand the discussion on assimilation, both throughout history and in the present era. How has assimilation, though sometimes posed in the past as unifying diverse people groups under one culture, worked to devalue the uniqueness of ethnic cultures, whether through religion, culture, or even medicinal practices? By discussing the experiences of three different groups throughout history, this archive displays the realities of immigration and assimilation. A dialogue about these ideas is crucial as globalization becomes the reality of this era, and questions concerning how to uphold ethnic group’s uniqueness become ever-pressing. Therefore, we hope this exhibit encourages discussion and analysis of these past issues in the hopes of inspiring future attitudes towards the subject.

Credits: Johann Rossbach, Divya Jagadeesh, Grace Bumpus