Special Topics in Italian Literature and Culture

Traditionally represented as a land of emigrants and exiles from the south, 21st-century Italy has become the destination of many immigrants and a place of encounter of different cultures and races. In "Cara Italia" [Dear Italy], a rap hymn by the famous artist Ghali, Italy is both a dear and a contested space of belonging where many children of migrants feel both at home and out of place. Exploring the cultural and historical roots of this feeling, the course asks the following: What does it mean to culturally belong? Why are certain people denied the status of Italian citizens? What does it mean to be Black in Italy? How are interracial younger generations reshaping Italy and Italian-ness? This course is an introduction to cultural productions at the intersection of migration, race, gender, and citizenship in contemporary Italy. In the course, students will critically engage a variety of issues such as the relation between Italian colonialism and recent migration, border politics and civic mobilization, gender struggles and networking, xenophobia and racism, and social protests and activism. Although African migration and Italians of Afro-descent are at the core of the course, students will also explore representations by/of other migrant communities such as the Asian and the Albanian ones. The course will be conducted in English, and screenings will be in the original language with English subtitles.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; BU IS; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM; AR HUM; AS SC

Special Topics in Italian Literature and Culture

GLOBAL STUDIES 3502

Section 01