Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LATILMA (Latin American Testimonies in Italy: a Living Library Between the Mediterranean and the Andes)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2023-08-31
LATILMA – Latin American Testimonies in Italy: A Living Library between the Mediterranean and the Andes, aims to collect, study, and publish literary and cultural testimonies of Hispanic American migration in Italy, from a gender perspective.
Due to demographic relevance, the study focuses on people coming from Peru and Ecuador, who represent two of the largest migrant communities. Furthermore, the Project focuses on the study of women and LGBTQIA+ people. LATILMA has as its hypothesis the fact that gender and sexual orientation affect the migration process, on the one hand, and that migration can determine changes in family relationships and relationships that concern gender, on the other. Furthermore, migrant communities coming from the countries that have been mentioned above are characterized by an important female presence and by socio-cultural characteristics linked to it.
The project is divided into two phases.
In the first phase — "outgoing"— LATILMA aimed to study the context of the main Hispanic American community in Italy, the Peruvian one. In Peru, in particular, in-depth studies have been carried out about relations between Peru and Italy, about conditions linked to gender identity, and also about emigration from the country to other nations of the world. Furthermore, in-depth studies have been carried out regarding the presence of women in the Peruvian literary field and the history of feminist and LGBTQIA+ associations and collectives. It was also studied whether, in the Peruvian literary field, the representation of emigration in Italy is present (for example, with publications in bookstores and libraries, in cultural activities, etc.). Finally, studies were carried out on the theme of "return"; this point aims to understand whether the links with the countries of origin remain active or not.
The project's second phase is aimed at collecting literary testimonies in Italy. These testimonies will be published in the multimedia anthology which will be published on the LATILMA web page. This anthology has the main objective of illuminating the literary contribution of Hispanic American people - or Hispanic American origins - in Italy.
This second part of the activity has been partly anticipated, and a first study of the literary testimonies produced by Hispanic American people in Italy has been started.
The results of the project will be published in a final monograph, in some articles (two were initially planned), and, as indicated, in the online anthology.
Due to demographic relevance, the study focuses on people coming from Peru and Ecuador, who represent two of the largest migrant communities. Furthermore, the Project focuses on the study of women and LGBTQIA+ people. LATILMA has as its hypothesis the fact that gender and sexual orientation affect the migration process, on the one hand, and that migration can determine changes in family relationships and relationships that concern gender, on the other. Furthermore, migrant communities coming from the countries that have been mentioned above are characterized by an important female presence and by socio-cultural characteristics linked to it.
The project is divided into two phases.
In the first phase — "outgoing"— LATILMA aimed to study the context of the main Hispanic American community in Italy, the Peruvian one. In Peru, in particular, in-depth studies have been carried out about relations between Peru and Italy, about conditions linked to gender identity, and also about emigration from the country to other nations of the world. Furthermore, in-depth studies have been carried out regarding the presence of women in the Peruvian literary field and the history of feminist and LGBTQIA+ associations and collectives. It was also studied whether, in the Peruvian literary field, the representation of emigration in Italy is present (for example, with publications in bookstores and libraries, in cultural activities, etc.). Finally, studies were carried out on the theme of "return"; this point aims to understand whether the links with the countries of origin remain active or not.
The project's second phase is aimed at collecting literary testimonies in Italy. These testimonies will be published in the multimedia anthology which will be published on the LATILMA web page. This anthology has the main objective of illuminating the literary contribution of Hispanic American people - or Hispanic American origins - in Italy.
This second part of the activity has been partly anticipated, and a first study of the literary testimonies produced by Hispanic American people in Italy has been started.
The results of the project will be published in a final monograph, in some articles (two were initially planned), and, as indicated, in the online anthology.
During the outgoing phase, as a result of the study on relations between Italy and Peru, evidence of the presence of an Italian community in Lima was found. This has provided contributions to Peruvian culture, thanks to the publication of narrative, poetic, theatrical, and essayistic texts. The study of circular movements between Italy and Peru at a diachronic level over the last three centuries was interesting.
Significant references have been found regarding the gender perspective applied to the study of migration from the Andean countries.
An initial search for literary works produced by Latin American people living in Italy had good results; in particular, an interesting corpus of stories written in Italian has emerged, an element that suggests new study questions regarding the relationship of foreign authors with both languages in which they express themselves - Spanish and Italian -.
Equally interesting is the contribution the corpus just mentioned offers regarding the reflection on the concept of identity; the literary testimonies update and broaden the debate on the concept of hybridization and "third space". Also for this reason, we believe that they contribute significantly to the field of "border studies" or "estudios fronterizos".
Significant references have been found regarding the gender perspective applied to the study of migration from the Andean countries.
An initial search for literary works produced by Latin American people living in Italy had good results; in particular, an interesting corpus of stories written in Italian has emerged, an element that suggests new study questions regarding the relationship of foreign authors with both languages in which they express themselves - Spanish and Italian -.
Equally interesting is the contribution the corpus just mentioned offers regarding the reflection on the concept of identity; the literary testimonies update and broaden the debate on the concept of hybridization and "third space". Also for this reason, we believe that they contribute significantly to the field of "border studies" or "estudios fronterizos".
Although the cultural contribution of the Italian community in Peru was known, we were able to observe the specific role that Peruvian authors of Italian origin have had in the literary and academic world, and also in the context of the feminist movement and associations.
Furthermore, the corpus of literary testimonies analyzed so far, as has been said, allows us to study the production of Hispanic American women authors in Italy from the perspective of studies on hybridization and the border.
From a semantic perspective, interesting topics emerge in the testimonies that have been analyzed: the semanticization of the relationship with the second language; the relationship with the Italian literary field and that of the country of origin; and the figure of mothers and grandmothers, among others. Furthermore, in reflections on identity, the importance of gender emerges; In several cases, foreign authors reflect on the prerogatives that the culture of origin and the Italian one assign to men and women. Their identity construction passes, in some cases, through a conscious cultural choice that takes these differences into account.
Furthermore, the corpus of literary testimonies analyzed so far, as has been said, allows us to study the production of Hispanic American women authors in Italy from the perspective of studies on hybridization and the border.
From a semantic perspective, interesting topics emerge in the testimonies that have been analyzed: the semanticization of the relationship with the second language; the relationship with the Italian literary field and that of the country of origin; and the figure of mothers and grandmothers, among others. Furthermore, in reflections on identity, the importance of gender emerges; In several cases, foreign authors reflect on the prerogatives that the culture of origin and the Italian one assign to men and women. Their identity construction passes, in some cases, through a conscious cultural choice that takes these differences into account.