Teresa Fiore Gives Presentation on Migrations from/to Italy at Columbia University (4/26/17)

On April 26, 2017 Dr. Teresa Fiore gave a presentation at Columbia University, entitled “Italy as a Laboratory of Migration: A Cultural Perspective on Inbound and Outbound Flows,” in the context of the event “Italy and the Euro-Mediterranean Migrant Crisis: National Reception, Lives Experiences, E.U. Pressures” presented jointly by Columbia University and Montclair State University.

Fiore’s paper illustrated the general data on migration from/to Italy including undocumented routes and deaths at sea, and then focused on migrant crossings in the Mediterranean (and by extension in the Atlantic) as represented in films (Golden Door, Sailing Home, and Like the Weight of the Water).  In the paper she argued that these films bring attention to the human story in opposition to the often flattening, fear-producing or tear-jerking representation of migration in the media and the political discourse. She also posited Italy as a potential lab for the rethinking of migration policies given the country’s position as a point of departure and arrival for migrants.

The presentation was part of a panel featuring international scholars who addressed the issue of migration phenomenon from sociological, legal, policy-making, and gender perspectives. More information about the event

The panel was also the occasion for the preliminary presentation of Dr. Fiore’s new book Pre-Occupied Spaces: Remapping Italy’s Transnational Migrations and Colonial Legacies, which just came out with Fordham University Press (May 2017).