In partnership with the Vietnamese Heritage Museum, the launch of this digital archive with artifacts made and/or used by Vietnamese refugees will make the history of refugees more accessible.

The Refugee Material Culture Initiative (RMCI) is a groundbreaking community-engaged digital humanities project spearheaded by UCLA Professor Kelly Nguyen in the Department of Classics with support from the the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and the UCLA Library. RMCI seeks to digitally preserve art and artifacts made or used by refugees, create a free and accessible database of these digital outputs, and generate educational resources to teach about refugee histories. By elevating the diversity and complexity of refugee experiences, RMCI affirms that refugees are not merely subjects of history but powerful knowledge producers in their own right.

In collaboration with its inaugural partner, the Vietnamese Heritage Museum located in Garden Grove, California, RMCI is currently digitizing the museum's refugee artifact collection. This effort represents the first phase of RMCI's broader mission to engage with other refugee communities and preserve their material cultures. The long-term goal is to establish a postcustodial digital archive that allows refugee communities to retain physical ownership of their artifacts, while the digital versions create a platform for dialogue between displaced communities around the world.

RMCI’s work seeks to counter misuses of refugee data and misrepresentations of refugee lives. By providing space for broader conversations about displacement and human rights, RMCI aims to expand public understanding of “refugee” beyond its restrictive legal definition. In this way, the initiative emphasizes shared experiences and connects global refugee communities through their material culture. The platform will feature digital exhibits curated by the RMCI team and students from Dr. Nguyen’s courses at UCLA, showcasing the histories behind refugee artifacts. One of the current exhibits highlights a 3D scan of the "Boat of Hope," which left Vung Tau, Vietnam, on September 4th, 1984, with nine refugees aboard. Another exhibit presents select artifacts made or used by Vietnamese refugees, reflecting the complexity of Vietnamese refugeehood—from internal displacement in 1954 after Vietnam was divided at the 17th parallel to the “re-education” camps and the refugee camps following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. These digital exhibits aim to inspire comparative research, innovative teaching methods, and a deeper understanding of refugee experiences.

In addition to its digitization and preservation efforts, RMCI serves as an educational platform. Dr. Nguyen offers a yearly course as part of the Mellon Data/Social Justice Initiative at UCLA in which students actively contribute to RMCI's rotating digital exhibits. Cross-listed between the Digital Humanities Program and the Department of Classics, the course explores the politics of forced displacement in ancient and modern contexts, with a focus on Greco-Roman antiquity and contemporary Vietnamese history. By integrating Critical Refugee Studies and digital archaeology methodologies, students help build digital exhibits that highlight contemporary refugee issues through historical lenses.

The Refugee Material Culture Initiative seeks to preserve refugee histories, empower refugee communities, and engage the public in learning from their stories. For more information, please visit our digital archive and explore current exhibits.