Archive for October 2023

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[Commlist] JICMS conference: CFP Reshaping history & Immigration cinema

Wed Oct 18 20:34:15 GMT 2023







*Conference:*  JICMS conference

*Location:* The American University of Rome, Italy

*Date:* June 13-15, 2024

*1)**Panel Title:* /*Reshaping History: */*Exploring Representations of the Past in Italian Cinema, Television, and new Media"*

*Organizer:*Dr. Annachiara Mariani//

*Chair:*Dr. Flavia Brizio-Skov

*Abstract:*

The representation of history and the evocation of historic memory through Italian cinema, television and new media have played a pivotal role in shaping cultural consciousness, fostering national identity, and engaging with the complexities of Italy's rich historical tapestry. This panel invites scholars to delve into the multifaceted landscape of how Italian visual media engage with history and its collective memory.

Our panel aims to explore the following key dimensions:

1.*Historical Narratives as Cultural Artifacts:* Italian cinema and television serve as archives of Italy's diverse historical experiences. We investigate how these media platforms function as vehicles for the preservation and reinterpretation of historic memory, providing insights into the Italian socio-cultural fabric.

2.*Shifting Perspectives and Historiography:* Analyzing the evolution of historical representations in Italian media over the decades, we seek to uncover changing paradigms in historiography, focusing on both the stories told and the perspectives represented.

3.*Identity and Conflict:* Through the lens of cinema and television, we address how historic memory can serve as a site of identity construction and negotiation. This includes examining depictions of regional identities, social struggles, and conflicts within the broader Italian historical context.

4.*Transmedia Storytelling and Digital Narratives:* As new media technologies reshape storytelling, we explore how Italian cinema and television adapt to these changes, potentially creating more immersive and interactive experiences of historical memory.

5.*Impact on Contemporary Discourse:* Investigating how representations of history in media influence present-day discussions, attitudes, and policies related to historical events, cultural heritage, and societal issues.

Key themes to be explored include:

1.*Authenticity vs. Artistic License*: Analyzing the tension between the imperative for historical accuracy and the creative liberties often taken in the portrayal of the past.

2.*Identity and Nationhood*: Investigating how historical narratives in Italian media contribute to the construction and contestation of Italian national identity.

3.*Social and Political Commentary*: Exploring how historical representations serve as platforms for commentary on contemporary social and political issues.

4.*Gender and Marginalized Voices*: Examining the evolving role of gender and the inclusion of marginalized voices in historical narratives.

5.*The Global Lens*: Assessing the global resonance of Italian historical cinema and its impact on international perceptions of Italian history and culture.

Interested contributors should send a 250-word abstract and a 150-word biographical note (word.doc only, no pdf) to: prof. Annachiara Mariani (amariani /at/ utk.edu) <mailto:(amariani /at/ utk.edu)>by 5 December 2023.

*2)**Panel:  Immigration cinema: race, ethnicity, and discrimination today*.

Organizer: Dr. Flavia Brizio-Skov

Chair: Dr. Annachiara Mariani

There have been interesting and useful articles like Barboni’s (in /Passato e Presente nel Cinema Italiano/) that outline the history of Italian immigration cinema starting from /Pummarò /(Tomato) (1990) by Michele Placido, cleverly dividing the filmic production between 1990 and 2020 in six categories that are very useful for studying the subject, a subdivision that scholars of cinema can benefit from. Italian cinema has, in fact, focus more and more on the problems related to the phenomenon of  immigration in the new millennium with films (and documentaries) like /Il villaggio di cartone /(/The Cardboard Village/) (2011) by Ermanno Olmi, /Terraferma/ (2011) by Emanuele Crialese, /La prima neve /(/First Snowfall/) (2013) by Andrea Segre, /I corpi estranei/ (/Foreign Bodies/) (2013) by Mirko Locatelli, /Io sto con la sposa/ (/On the Bride’s Side/) (2014) by Gabriele Deal Grande et al., /Fuocoammare/ (Fire at Sea) (2016) by Gianfranco Rosi, and /L’ordine delle cose/ (/The Order of Things/) (2017) by Andrea Segre, to cite the most recent ones. This production has been, however, sort of marginal; there have been films that were successful but, on the whole, we think it is time for the scholars of cinema to access this social problem asking themselves what gap exists between filmic fiction and reality, with the purpose of establishing what are the political implications connected to the filmic rendition of this ‘phenomenon:’ can the films provide an answer that might help viewers favor integration? Can these films provide community cohesion in society?

Italian cinema has indeed in the last two decades advocated for marginalized groups, including the victims of discriminatory behavior perpetrated by underground organizations, by extremist groups, and by governments that issued punitive laws. Italian cinema has tried to make audiences aware of injustices and abuses, but often the effort has gone unnoticed. Affluent European countries like Italy, France, Germany, and Great Britain have had a great influx of migrants in the last twenty years, a stream that has brought to the fore problems related to the non-homogeneity of national space and has politicized questions connected to concepts of national identity. Immigrants came from the ex-Iron Curtain countries, the Middle East, and the former African colonies – an inundation caused by a gamut of complex factors like poverty, wars, ethnic cleansing, and religious intolerance. Cinema has indeed shown a desire to speak on behalf of these marginalized groups. However, even when these films were successful, traveled through film festivals, got prizes, received positive reviews, were praised by the critics, they remained outside the mainstream commercial channels, and, when they were shown in theatres, they stayed on for a short time. To probe into the reason of this “marginalization” will disclose the tendency to avoid thorny subject matters because of Eurocentric mentality and conservative ideology.

             Despite the impact of immigration on contemporary societies, immigration cinema has been largely overlooked in scholarship. Therefore, investigating the reasons of this exclusion will shed light on problems related to discrimination, racism and the way mainstream media manipulate culture and the public. It is time to write essays that can bring to the attention of university students, scholars, and//general readership an analysis of films that exemplify the situation of the minority groups marginalized for political, religious, and ethnic reasons. Showing how diversity is portrayed in cinema, and how these films are received will reveal the many tensions that exist in the margins of western affluent societies and will force the readers to explore the many political implication of the word “diversity”. Europe, being a rapidly aging continent, depends on the integration of immigrants. However, racist, Eurocentric, and xenophobic discourses have often been successful, so much so that we have seen right-wing parties winning elections all over Europe, and several governments have implemented anti-immigrant policies.^[i]  The European Council has recognized the importance of European diversity stating the necessity “to strengthen human rights, racial tolerance and multicultural acceptance” (CoE, 1991:9), and many of the migrant films from Italy are, in fact, an excellent example of the defense of these values. Nevertheless, as we examine the transcultural identities of migrant cinema, we need to keep in mind that monocultural constructs sometimes remain resistant enough to deconstruction effort to a point that they can destabilize the expected pro-immigrant cinematic output. In some of the filmic texts, hidden under the main narrative, underlying conservative micro-narratives remain in place, and often the critics have concentrated only on these aspects, to validate the status-quo against any rebellious message.

[Speakers: Flavia Brizio-Skov – /Io Capitano/ di Matteo Garrone………………]


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6.^[i]  In the case of Italy, for example, in 2002 the parliament approved the Bossi-Fini law, drawn by Umberto Bossi and Gianfranco Fini, respective leaders of the xenophobic Northern League and the National alliance, a right-wing party descended from the Neofascist MSI party founded after World War II. This a heavy-handed law, among its many provisions, makes it illegal for individuals not belonging to the European Community member nations to enter the country without a work contract; it also requires all non-E.U. individuals who lose their jobs while in the country to repatriate to their home nation; it abolishes the sponsorship system that had previously enabled non-E.U. individuals to enter the country under the patronage of a sponsor already in Italy; it establishes the government’s right to decree a quota of the number of non-E.U. individuals allowed to enter the country over the period of a year; it makes all foreign nationals not in conformity with these guidelines subject to criminal proceedings and/or forced repatriation.

Interested contributors should send a 250-word abstract and a 150-word biographical note (word.doc only, no pdf) to: prof. Flavia Brizio (fbrizio /at/ utk.edu) <mailto:(fbrizio /at/ utk.edu)> by 5 December 2023.















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