By interviewing four scholars and one activist, in Focus #1 Why History Matters: Europe and Migration, Isabel Cuesta Camacho develops a discourse around colonialism and its role within the current scenario of migration from African countries towards Europe.
In her talk with the Swedish scholars Peo Hansen and Stefan Jonsson, the Italian Gustavo Gozzi and Nando Sigona, from the University of Bologna, Italy, and the University of Birmingham, UK, respectively, and with the Italian activist of Congolese origin, John Mpaliza, met in Bologna, Isabel outlines and explores some of the issues related to Europe's past that still affect our understanding of the so-called 'migration crisis': the exploitation of Africa by European governments as an interrupted political practice, the importance of giving civil rights to newcomers within western societies, and the influence of the European intervention in African countries on the socio-political stability of the local communities there.
Go to the Focus section to start reading.
'Refugees at Idomeni, Greek border with Macedonia' by Bruno Tigano