Migrations in the Mediterranean between Cultural Pluralism, Innovation, and Social Policies

Only a Europe able to recognize the Mediterranean as its cradle can deem it its 'natural' centre of gravity, a sea to gaze at not only with nostalgic regret, but also with the proud knowledge of it being a 'space', a suitable scenario from where to neutralize conflicts, thus helping to prevent the dangers of a clash of civilizations. This sea, that was once "dialogue and freedom" has now become "closure and death": today tens of thousands of people die drowning in the Mediterranean, due to the increase of migration flows from Africa and the Middle East to the shores of Europe. This mare nostrum, once the meeting place for strangers, has now become an "insurmountable border" for many desperate human beings. This sea, unfamiliar with juxtapositions like North/South, East/West, Islam/Christianity, and which saw the flourishing of cultures, arts, religions, philosophies, is nowadays no longer a 'hotbed' of dialogue. Rather, it has become a battlefield for a war fought not with weapons but with "ideologies". However, the Mediterranean acquires a fundamental importance in promoting pluralism, diversity, and freedom. After becoming a place of dialogue and encounter, this sea "could turn into the peace table between the West and the Islamic world". This book represents a renewed effort to discuss migration flows across the Mediterranean, trying to go beyond the numerical dimension and instead proposing a dimension more linked to the representations and everyday lives of these subjects. For this reason, starting from the second part entitled "Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Processes" all the chapters will directly or indirectly address aspects of the processes of identification and social change intersecting with gender, sexuality, and migration flows, between the two shores of the Mediterranean (North and South).