Migrant Cartographies

Bringing an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the topic, this collection examines the literary and cultural impact of internal and external migration on European identities. Ponzanesi (gender and postcolonial studies, Utrecht U., the Netherlands) and Merolla (African literatures, Leiden U., the Netherlands) first present five papers that grapple with issues of theory, including the use of the migrant "other" for the creation of the European "self," perceptions of travel, and the historical sources of racism in Europe and their role in the construction of the notion of migration. Six essays than examine the emergence of migrant literatures in national literary traditions and the ways in which they are absorbed, rejected, or marginalized in national discourses. The final group of six essays deals with cases in which migration has a role in the reinvention of public space and public memory in art forms such as cinema, cultural manifestations, visual arts, music, and urban culture. Annotation c2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Sandra Ponzanesi is Assistant Professor at Utrecht University and Research Fellow at Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. Daniela Merolla is Lecturer in Africa Literatures, Department of Languages and Cultures of Africa at University of Leiden.