This book focuses on the relevance of the arts and of artistic practices in the actual integration of refugees into the social fabric - a topic which is relatively neglected both in media and political discourse. In the context of the highly polarized public opinion on migration and refugee issues, migrants and refugees tend to be seen either as a threat against which we have to protect ourselves, or as passive victims in need of our help, sometimes in a paternalistic way.
Too rarely do we see migrants and refugees as agents, persons who contribute positively to the development of human society in various ways, including through their artistic practices, despite the hardships they are going through. This book contributes to the much-needed counternarrative of migration and asylum. I would like to dedicate it to the thousands of women, men, and children who lose their lives every day, in trying to reach a safe haven.
Marco Martiniello (editor)
