This book examines how Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost island, has become a transnational symbol representing migration to Europe from the Global South. It analyses how three very different associations have used the name Lampedusa as a means of restoring a sense of subjectivity or agency to migrants themselves. Jacopo Colombini argues that the work of the Archivio delle Memorie Migranti (Rome), the self-organised refugee group Lampedusa in Hamburg, and the Lampedusa-based Collettivo Askavusa offers an alternative to the stereotypical, often racially connoted, public discussion of migrant presence in Italy and Europe. He also demonstrates, however, that the marginalisation of migrant and refugee voices in the public discourse is also partially and unavoidably reproduced in the cultural projects that wish to restore their agency.

Collapses disciplinary boundaries in Italian studies Examines interplay of race, identity, and positionality Combines ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and textual analysis

Autorentext

Jacopo Colombini holds a PhD in Italian Cultural Studies from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

Inhalt

1. Introduction Why Lampedusa?.- 2. What does Lampedusa mean?: The construction of the Lampedusa symbol.- 3. The 'Archivio Memorie Migranti'. Co-producing memories of Lampedusa.- 4. 'Lampedusa in Hamburg. Representing Lampedusa in a Transnational Context'.- 5. Representing the 'local' Lampedusa: The role of the 'Collettivo Askavusa'.- 6. Preserving memories and igniting new struggles.- 7. Epilogue.