In an increasingly global and multicultural world, the European project ‘Ethnography Museums and World Cultures’ is rethinking the place and role of ethnography museums. Most such museums were established in the context of colonization. When the colonies were granted independence these museums lost the role they had originally had, as repositories of exotic objects and - in some instances - showcases for political propaganda. The end of colonisation fundamentally transformed the relationships between the peoples who produced the objects in ethnographic museum collections and their former colonisers in the West. The need for ethnography museums to reassess their role has been further dramatised by the political upheavals in some former colonies, and by the major flows of migration to Europe. Ethnographic museums in the West now have the opportunity to use the accumulated wealth of their collections to provide the public with the keys to understanding other cultures as well as their own. Ten of Europe’s ethnography museums, among the most important globally, are pooling their expertise in a series of workshops on social issues focused around perceptions of ethnic groups from the other continents. The workshops are organized around two main themes: ‘modernity’ and ‘first encounters’. The investigation of ‘modernity’ as a theme will take the form of a collaborative touring exhibition, while the theme of first encounters will be addressed through the development of a theatre piece. International colloquia, workshops and focused research throughout the life of the project will contribute to the analysis of these themes, with the potential for future publication. Teams of researchers and professionals from these museums are also working to create an international network of Ethnography Museums (réseau international des musées d’ethnographie, or RIME) which will facilitate loaning of artefacts, and exchange of data and of staff. Particular attention will be given to the new network’s capacity to support museums in economically disadvantaged countries. By bringing together European ethnography museums, research expertise and associations to take up this challenge, the RIME project will position museums as key partners and special mediators in the drive to foster dialogue between diverse cultures.