New directions for civil renewal in Britain: Social capital and culture for all?

As with most migration-related issues, it is cities that are on the front lines of the social cohesion debate. Museums " important as sites that represent nations and cities and their populations " have been positioned by national governments as strategic players in the debate, with the result that they are increasingly held accountable to claims that they are, or have the potential to become, central to the wellbeing of community life. This article explores the reasons that the public policy initiatives of cultural diversity, cultural cohesion, cultural capital and cultural industries have come to rely on museums as institutions that collect and create culture, in all its diverse forms, experiences and understandings.