Yvan Gastaut, L’immigrazione nel cinema francese / Immigration in French Films, pp. 7-22

The phenomenon of immigration did not fail to inspire also the world of motion pictures. More than the artistic achievements, we must consider here the theme, the economical or political circumstances that created it, its success both in terms of the financial profit in the theatres and of impact on television. In the span of time that goes between the two world wars you don't find many movies narrating immigration stories. After WW II the immigrant is present but only through minor roles. It is only toward the end of the second and at the beginning of the third millennium that the immigrant is brought to the fore of the action and becomes the bearer of a message of solidarity and friendship.

Anna Caprarelli, Cinematografia migrante in Belgio / Motion pictures and immigration in Belgium, pp. 23-32

The article looks at the latest Belgian movie production regarding the issues of migration, cultural integration, and racism. Even admitting that this particular trend is rather recent, looking at all the movies dealing with migration, some works of fiction as well as some documentaries are definitely worthy of notice. Whether they be the labour of migrants or of Belgian native directors, most of the movies on migration face important questions such as the relevance of the original cultural roots, or the preservation of memories.

Christos Giovanopoulos, Migranti e diaspora nel cinema britannico: dall’immaginario coloniale allo “schermo multiculturale” / Migrants and Diaspora in British Cinema: from the Colonial Imagery to the “Multicultural Screen”, pp. 33-50

The examination of representations of Diaspora communities and migrants in British cinema is the main concern of this paper. A brief historical account of the struggles for and over representation is used to contextualise aesthetic and narrative changes. It is argued that the field of culture as the primary field of contestation is not adequate to address the problem of representation and reification of cultures and identities in the post-Cool Britannia and post-9/11. Furthermore that the potential for a new representational shift emerges from films depicting the current migration in the UK, where the figure of the migrant can provide the locus for a radical critique to global capitalism and nationalism together.

Vito Zagarrio, Noi e l’altro. Cinema ed immigrazione nel New-New Italian Cinema / Ourselves and the “other”. Movies and immigration in the New-New Italian Cinema, pp. 51-58

The so-called “new cinema” born between the late eighties and 1990, strove to find connections with the society that brought it into existence, and delved into the theme of migration and the “other”, think of Amelio, for instance. At times we identify the “other”, the one who is different, not only from an ethnic point of view, but also from a mental standpoint. In psychoanalytic terms, the image of the “other” overlaps often with the that of the migrant; almost to affirm that the films approaching this sensitive subject are pervaded by a subtle vein of folly. Such element persists; however the filmography of the new millennium mostly focuses on reality including its most crude aspects, at times even exaggerating them. This new neo-realistic approach can be found not only in the films with a story, but most of all in documentaries which become the perfect instrument to express with power the daily reality.

Antonella D’Arma, Lo stereotipo della donna nera nel cinema italiano 1990-2003 / The African woman as a stereotype in the Italian cinema (1990-2003), pp. 59-71

The result of a quantitative and qualitative research, this article focuses on the stereotyped representation of the black African woman in Italian films produced and set in Italy between the years 1990-2003. The article contends that the Italian collective imagination still persists viewing the black female in terms of her race, and casting her, almost exclusively, in stereotypical roles such as the “servant”, the “sexual animal”, and the “exotic beauty”.

Bruno Ramirez, Immigrazione e culture minoritarie sugli schermi canadesi / Immigration and minority cultures in the Canadian films, pp. 73-85

After tracing the major developments that led to the rise of a film industry in Canada, the article discusses the impact that demographic and political factors such as immigration and multicultural policies had in encouraging immigrants and their children to enter the seventh art as directors, screenwriters, producers, and actors. Their contribution to the understanding of immigration and ethnic phenomena – along with the aesthetic/narrative styles they developed – are discussed through the work of well-known directors such as Paul Tana, Atom Egoyan, and Deepa Mehta.

Matteo Sanfilippo, La figura dell’immigrato nel cinema statunitense. Quando la passione cinefila raggiunge l’analisi sociale / The presence of the immigrant in the American film. When the passion for cinema becomes a social analysis, pp. 87-104

Rather early on in its history, the American film made an effort not to offend the sensitivity of different immigrant groups because they were, potentially, “audience”. This is true, at least, in regards to the European immigrants, to the point that for roles with strong stereo- typical connotations, actors of a different origin were cast. This state of affairs totally changed when the second and third generations immigrants were able to carve out their own niche in the movie industry. Not only, in fact, did they started looking with less suspicion at the various groups, but they ended up recognizing that the true barriers are not those deriving from ethnicity and race, but rather those resulting from economical and social status.

Alicia Bernasconi, Federica Bertagna, Gli immigrati nel cinema argentino 1897-2007 / The immigrants in the Argentinean film industry 1897-2007, pp. 105-122

This work investigates the participation of immigrants in the Argentinean cinema and their portrayal in the movies produced during the period 1897-2007. Argentinean cinema was born precisely in the years of the massive immigration to the country: it's not surprising then that immigrants played important roles at its beginning. Much more surprising actually is to observe how the immigrant and his world did not effect in the movie industry the same impact that he produced in the actual building of the nation.

Gaetano Rando, La cinematografia nazionale australiana della seconda metà del Novecento e la rappresentazione del fenomeno migratorio non angloceltico / Australia’s National Cinema during the Second Half of the 20th Century, and the Portrayal of the Immigrant of non Angloceltic Origin, pp. 123-133

Although a significant minority of Australia’s population is of non angloceltic origin, Australia's national cinema has consistently understated the impact and the multiple ramifications of the migration experiences of the many ethnic groups constituting Australia society. Initially geared, in the 1950s, to projecting an image of Australia as an all-accepting earthly paradise, films and documentaries produced up to the end of the 1970s present themes that underscore the superiority of Australian values and the need for the many ethnic groups that have settled in the country to assimilate into mainstream society. It is only in the last part of the 20th century that Australian national cinema has begun to take a more critical stance in relation to the migration phenomenon. What is to a large extent missing is the development of a discourse that the aspirations of millions of migrants have for a long time been in conflict with the diffidence displayed by the mainstream and difficult living and working conditions.

Pietro Saitta, Tra struttura e funzione. Una critica degli approcci razionalisti in materia d’immigrazione / Between structure and function. A critique of a rationalist approach in matters of migration, pp. 135-158

The paper discusses the functionalist and structuralist approaches for the study of immigration, which are two of the most popular categories available to the scholars. Specifically, the author criticizes both the rationalist paradigm that drives these two approaches and the ambition of their followers to build Grand Theories. The author claims that settlement processes are not characterized by rigid patterns and the goal of ruling migratory flows by deploying economical and rationalist logic may produce illusions of control that are very dangerous and ineffective.

Maria Concetta Chiuri, Giuseppe De Arcangelis, Angela Maria D’Uggento, Giovanni Ferri, L’immigrazione irregolare in Italia: alcune caratteristiche socio-economiche / Undocumented migration in Italy: some socio-economic observations, pp. 159-179

The Survey on illegal migration in Italy (SIMI) focuses upon the reality of clandestine immigrants going through the country. SIMI provides data on the main demographic, economic and social features of a sample of 920 illegal migrants apprehended in 2003. Individual motivations to migrate, the intention of returning, expectations on income at destination, and intended remittance rates are collected. Evidence generally supports the presence of strong economic reasons behind the decision of migrating. Apprehended illegal migrants expected to earn at the their final destination about 8-10 times their income at home. The median cost of the trip is more than a yearly average income. Finally, the survey leads to forecast massive migratory flows, as the people interviewed (typically below 30) seem to be the front- runners of a cohort of their nationals the same age.

Milena Santerini, Migrazioni e dialogo interculturale / Migrations and inter-cultural dialog, pp. 180-188

If cultural diversity is experiencing a crisis of meaning and motivation, the institutional policies concerning integration, instead, generally continue being developed. There can be a problem then in the realization of the concrete policies of integration of the immigrants, if they are not expected to abandon their cultural, religious identity. This challenge can be met by some intercultural education based on a reflection upon identity and difference, particular and universal, as long as it assume a positive vision of culture outside of any form of essentialism and determinism in order to avoid a definition of identity that keeps the individual a prisoner within the confines of his own group. This “new” intercultural trend is not limited to stressing differences but lends a hand to make living possible inside of complex societies.

Sebastián Ballina, Fronteras étnicas en asociaciones de inmigrantes y sus descendientes / Ethnic boundaries within associations of migrants and their descendents, pp. 189-206

This article will focus on the formation of ethnic boundaries within the associations of immigrants and their descendants in the city of Berisso, Buenos Aires Province, in Argentina. Our main objective will be to analyze and consider separately the different ways that ethnic boundaries come into existence within these institutions, and the reasoning that supports and creates them. We will further analyze how ethnic boundaries are articulated considering the two proceedings we have selected: the election of the executive committee members, and the election of female representatives of the societies at the annual Immigrant Festival where an ethnic beauty pageant is held. Regarding methodology, we have made use of semi-structured interviews, participant observation as they interact, and the analysis of written texts produced by the associations themselves.

Andrea Villa, Politiche del lavoro e immigrazione: il decreto flussi / Politics of work and immigration: the decree on the migrants flow, pp. 207-213

Franco Pittau, Delfina Licata, Alberto Colaiacomo, Gli emigrati italiani e l’acquisto della cittadinanza: dinamiche socio-statistiche e criteri interpretativi / The Italian immigrant and the acquisition of citizenship: socio-statistical dynamics and criteria of interpretation, pp. 214-219

Franco Pittau, Il Dossier Statistico Immigrazione 2007 di Caritas e Migrantes / Caritas and Migrantes: Statistical Report on Immigration 2007, pp. 220-224

Delfina Licata, Franco Pittau, Il Rapporto Migrantes sugli Italiani nel Mondo nel 2007 / Migrantes: 2007 Report on the Italians in the World, pp. 225-231