Human Mobility and Cultural History: The Italian Case as an Explanatory Model

Within the social sciences, mainstream migration theories have been criticised for their insufficient capacity to address the complex nature of the phenomenon. The necessity to bridge history and migration theory through a cross-disciplinary approach has also been welcomed among migration historians. On another front, cultural historians have recently advocated an approach to migration capable of transcending the limitations of a dualistic notion of 'native' versus 'migrant' cultures. Finally, there is general agreement that research work on migration and human mobility needs to question traditional notions and definitions of communities and 'native' cultures.

Following these premises, the proposed research activity will establish a network of international scholars who will define the theoretical tenets of a future project on the impact of migratory flows crossing the Italian peninsula stretching back to the first millennium BC. The more general goal is to develop new interdisciplinary interpretive lenses which can provide a model for the study of socio-cultural transformations generated by human mobility in every society and context in a broad global perspective. The activities will specifically focus on the case of Italy, a geographically well-defined peninsula, which from ancient times has been at the crossroad of demographic movements. We will look at the impact of mobility on the human landscape of the peninsula, without assuming the long-term existence of an extant local or 'Italian' culture at any given period. The history of Italian mobility is already well studied and documented for specific periods and this will bring established expertise and research data to our project.

This proposal is innovative for the following reasons:
1. Human mobility is considered here as the independent variable and we focus instead on its impacts, effects, and perceptions. In this way, we aim to investigate how this approach can refine our understanding of the reciprocal effects of human mobility and the transformations/response of a society at any given historical time.
2. By positioning the concept of place within a framework of constant mobility, we recognise it both as a geographical location and an issue of culture, identity and belonging, thus exploring the extent to which concepts like place and migration are cultural constructs.
3. The initiative comes from a core group of social, political and cultural historians who will work on the elaboration of theories and concepts in a dialogue across disciplines. All participants and particularly the two PIs and and Research Facilitator (who has played a central role in the definition of this project), share the conviction that 'bridge building might best proceed through the development of interdisciplinary research projects on a series of common questions to which scholars in different disciplines could bring distinct insights drawn from their particular epistemological frameworks' (Brettel and Hollfield 2000: 16). The aim is to create an upstream influence through shared ideas which will ensure that the resulting work is more than the sum of its parts.
4. The timespan covered by the prospective participants will stretch back to the first millennium BC, providing an unprecedented diachronical perspective in which approaches and methodologies will be discussed and tested.

The impact of this research project will be twofold. On the one hand, as already highlighted, the definition of a theoretical platform for a diachronical study of the impact of human mobility will provide scholars and researchers in the field with an innovative, cross-disciplinary approach. Once published in an international peer-reviewed journal, we are confident that its content will raise considerable interest and a scholarly discussion about possible developments and implementations of our model.
Secondly, we strongly believe that this project will have an impact in a concerted 'turn' within migration studies towards an appreciation of the cultural as much as economic benefits deriving from human mobility. Migration is currently a most hotly debated topic, often generating simplifications and generalizations which influence public opinion and political choices. Particularly in the Western context, there is a tendency to forget the radical importance of human mobility in the creation of the social, cultural and economic texture and wealth of a so-called first-world country. Our research project, especially once it finds its implementation in the in-depth research work that will follow, will play an important role in setting the model for such a wide-ranging re-evaluation. We also intend to create a forum in which the public will be involved and we will ensure that the findings are also presented in an easily accessible way to both policy makers and the wider community. This will be done through public lectures and presentations via other media channels such as radio and internet.

Findings will feed into workshops and direct engagement activities carried out by individual researchers, as for example the Beyond Text Follow on Funding scheme applied for by Isayev, on issues of migration and place, as well as for her connections with the Centre for Migration Policy Research at Swansea University; and the Leverhulme-funded network, Destination Italy, co-ordinated by Bonsaver, on the representation of immigration in Italian literature/cinema and the media.

Individually and collectively, the P.I. and Research Facilitator will seek to discuss issues related to the network's activity in non-specialist media channels already open to them: i.e., BBC World Service; La Rivista dei libri; other radio stations such as Phonic FM in Devon, RAI Radio Broadcasting Service in Italy.

Finally, our project will find the interest of Italian scholars and the media for two reasons: first of all, the public debate on the impact of recent migration is currently rather intense in Italy and its likely that an independent contribution from abroad will raise substantial interest; secondly, in 2011 Italian institutions will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification and this will certainly create added interest to the debate on national identity in a historical context.