Migration, Cultural Memory, and a Scholarship of Praxis


Laura E. Ruberto (Berkeley City College)

This paper places into dialogue my ethnographic and oral history research on migration emerging from Southern Italy and expanding across multiple national borders—from Belgium to Ukraine, from Morocco to Argentina, and from Uruguay to the United States. I highlight how migratory experiences are accessible through various means and that expressive memories are part of the lived experiences of individuals. My own familial relationship to Italy and migration is threaded throughout. I create an embroidered narrative of my scholarship and life experiences connected to larger discourses that counter xenophobic practices and perspectives through cultural memory work.

Part of 03-13 Engaging the Personal in the Cultural Politics of Italian Migrations, Thursday, October 13, 2:30 pm–4:30 pm