The Migrant¿s Corner - Paradoxes of Representing Mediterranean Crossings in Italian and French Contemporary Culture

The stories of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe have made the headlines in the news over the last twenty years. How have these human itineraries been represented in contemporary culture? This book considers the migrant’s story as portrayed in literature, cinema, museums and festivals in Italy and France, in order to explore the widespread ethical complexities related to agency and advocacy. While typically produced in support of migrant communities, these narratives often confine the experience of displaced individuals within a Eurocentric, humanitarian discourse that is difficult to overcome. Through an interdisciplinary and postcolonial approach, the book analyses, among others, recent works by Laurent Gaudé and Emanuele Crialese, the Musée National de l’Histoire de l’Immigration in Paris and a community festival in Lampedusa, to highlight the complexity of advocating for migrants from a European perspective.