Migration in the Italian Visual Cultural Imaginary

Beginning in the 1980s, Italy, a country traditionally known as a nation of emigration, became a nation of immigration, with migrants arriving from parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With the arrival of migrants from the former Soviet bloc and former Western colonial territories, Italy?s transformation into a new multicultural and multiracial society becomes evident in its cinema. In this course, students will examine Italy?s transformation from emigrant to immigrant nation through film. Through selected readings, screenings and assignments, students will learn how migration is represented in the Italian cultural imaginary. Specifically, students will learn how the cinema mediates our understanding of migration today, and contributes to dialogues concerning cultural hybridity, citizenship, and national belonging.