Dr. Fiore’s Presentation at Fondazione Marea (Catania, Italy)

On Jan. 15, 2025, Dr. Teresa Fiore gave a presentation followed by a Q&A at Fondazione Marea in Catania, Italy, a recently launched foundation aimed at creating a productive network among Sicilians in the diaspora, non-Sicilians who have chosen the island for their life and work projects, and those Sicilians who never left but see the island as part of dynamic exchanges.

Titled “Da/verso la Sicilia: Mobilità del passato e presente come ponti per progetti futuri” (From/To Sicily: Past and Current Mobilities as Bridges for Future Projects), the talk/conversation took place at Isola — the co-working space that hosts Marea’s offices. It was moderated by Carmelo Traina, communication expert and leader of the Giuseppe Gatì Center created to combat the phenomenon of depopulation in Sicily.

The talk provided a historical context for the data set that tracks migration to/from Sicily: the migration of Sicilians to the North of Italy and abroad, and economic and political immigration to Sicily. The flow into Sicily of returning emigrants and those who have adopted Sicily as their new home is of particular interest since it remains somewhat understudied.

“I am grateful to Antonio Perdichizzi, President of the Fondazione Marea, for identifying in my research a source of knowledge about mobilities from and to Sicily for the members,” commented Dr. Fiore. “Based on the interest shown by the audience, I feel this may be the beginning of future projects aimed at building a shared archive of data for the Fondazione.” Teresa Fiore is one of the early members, and has served as advisor in selecting the board of directors in 2024 (see inauguration’s video 55′).

The recording of the Jan. 15 presentation is available here.