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

*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………………]


------------------------------------------------------------------------

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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