Italia – la terra promessa? Lampedusa and the immigrant crisis of the European Union

Abstract

Using the award-winning film Terraferma as a cultural and political text in comparison with the media coverage of the nonfictional immigration crisis in the Mediterranean, the author of this research project exercises ideological criticism toward the European Union (EU). This essay examines how and why Italian state institutions and policies are unable to tackle the unfolding immigration crisis. It also addresses particularities and possibilities of communication dynamics between the local population on the island of Lampedusa and the incoming immigrant population from North Africa. Ultimately, this research project comparatively studies factual and fictional media representations of the African Other and their methodological and epistemological impact on the multicultural dynamics in the EU.

Keywords:

• Lampedusa
• immigration crisis
• Europe
• multiculturalism
• Terraferma

Notes on contributor

Dr Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the Colorado State University and a Director of Summer Study Abroad Program ‘Managing across Cultures: Italy’ at the University of Colorado Denver. Julia's research and teaching interest are in intercultural communication, diversity, inclusive multiculturalism, nondiscriminatory dialog, and transnational identity in Europe, Americas, and the former Soviet Union. Dr Khrebtan-Hörhager is a recipient of the Top Paper Award from the Intercultural Communication Division of the International Communication Association for her work on German–Italian multicultural relations.

Notes

1. Translation from German by the author.

2. Translation from Italian by the author.