Dr. Fiore Presented at the Power Plant Gallery on Racial Injustice and Italian Colonialism in East Africa (June 2020)

In Spring-Summer 2020, protests shifted global attention toward the racial injustice that continues to exist, also as a legacy of colonial projects. The Power Plant Gallery of Toronto and the Italian Cultural Institute of Toronto presented “Italy and East Africa: Unexplored Histories,” a series of conversations aimed at discussing how the past has led us to this moment through a critical analysis of the Italian colonization of Eritrea and Ethiopia, and its reading in Dawit L. Petros’ exhibit Spazio Disponibile.

Montclair State University professor, Dr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies), was invited to present on her work about the relationships between colonialism and migrations, which will be later adapted to an essay for the exhibit’s catalogue.

June 27, 2020 See VIDEO recording on VIMEO (or click on image below)
“Transnational Pre[-]Occupations in Dawit L. Petros’ Project about Colonial and Migratory Spaces (Eritrea-Italy-Canada)”
Teresa Fiore’s presentation followed by a conversation with Liz Park and Q&A

The series “Italy and East Africa: Unexplored Histories” at large reflected on the incursions of Fascism, the damaging processes of “modernization,” past and current migration policies and uses of migrant labour, the reconfiguration of geographic boundaries and exploitation of lands, among others. The series included four online conversations with curators, authors, artists and scholars affiliated among other with MOMA and Columbia University running from June 20 through July 18 (see full program).

More information
Pre-Occupied Spaces (book by Dr. Fiore)