Dr. Teresa Fiore Gives Talk on Migrations from/to Italy at the University of Verona (Dec. 2019)

On Dec. 19, 2019 at the University of Verona, Italy, Dr. Teresa Fiore (Prof. of Italian and Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies) gave a talk titled “Iper-rappresentazione dell’immigrazione in entrata in Italia e invisibilità dell’esodo in uscita (1990-2017)” (Hyper-representation of inbound immigration in Italy and invisibility of the outbound exodus), as part of the panel “Emergenza immigrazione o emergenza emigrazione? Uno sguardo da diverse prospettive” (Immigration Emergency or Emigration Emergency? A Multi-Perspective Take).

The panel included other three speakers active in academic, media and non-profit institutions (Paola Pasca of the University of Salento, Martina Chicci of Amnesty International, and Jessica Cugini of Nigrizia) whose talks addressed on the one hand the fast-increasing use of hate speech on social media, especially against migrants in Italy, and on other an illustration of multi-directional human mobility in the area of Verona and Veneto. Fiore’s talk provided the broader context for the inbound and outbound migratory flows from/to Italy within a historical and cultural perspective. By challenging the common perception of mobility in Italy, often manufactured by the media for political objectives, her talks showed how the widespread anxiety over the “invasion” of Italy by “illegal” migrants is unjustified given the country’s current high rate of emigration (more people are leaving Italy rather than entering it). The talk is an extension of the work Fiore started in her book Pre-occupied Spaces: Re-Mapping Italy’s Transnational Migrations and Colonial Legacies (2017) and expanded in subsequent articles for edited collections published by Routledge and University of Illinois Press (see post).

Also aimed at highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary methods in analyzing contemporary social issues, the panel was organized and moderated by Dr. Margherita Brondino (Senior Temporary Assistant Professor, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona), in collaboration with Dr. Margherita Pasini (Associate Professor, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona). See flyer for more details.

Fiore’s talk at the University of Verona is part of the faculty mobility described in the official agreement between Montclair State University and the University of Verona. The agreement was signed in 2010 to foster student and faculty exchanges. Over the years, students from Verona have come to MSU at the pace of one per year until 2017, and MSU students (Italian majors) have also spent a semester abroad in Verona (the latest one, Francesca Oliveri, will be there in Spring 2020). A meeting with the International Office on Dec. 20, 2019 was held in Verona to further expand and strengthen this agreement in the future. The goal is to define targeted academic routes for students under the guidance of faculty members and administrators familiar with the points of strength offered on the two campuses in order to ensure productive experiences.

Top image (from left to right): Margherita Brondino, Teresa Fiore, Jessica Cugini and Paola Pasca – Martina Chicchi is not featured in the photo.