#socialrealism #criticalreflection what's my #subject and #why?
My subject of interest is mainly focused on migrant women arrived Europe with the migratory wave corossing the Mediterrean Sea, in the context of a spreaded global far right tendence.
I start my discourse reflecting about Identity and according to Lewis, our perception of ourselves is determined by the categorical and existential self, both influenced by the surrounding environment.
What is the surroundng environment nowadays?
The ubiquitous phone, TV, and the impact of technology pull our minds giving us the illusion to live on the right side of the world; taking off from our minds more important issues and values. We are turned from active users to passive consumers by well planned strategies and techniques.
Socio-economic disparities, fear of terrorism and its link with the fear of the stranger, the rising of extreme right wing in many countries, a migratory wave that is marking an era, and the slavery phenomenon are mixed up with fake news and the common perception that all of this is far from Europe.
But actually the fascist visual and political rethoric is already catching on.
The risesing of fascisms and nationalisms across Europe and US, inside and outside the institutions is a dangerous fact reported and observed by many.
link indipendent el Paìs LeFigarò
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/nov/26/anti-muslim-online-bots-fake-acounts
“Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community. Then they were quickly silenced, but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It’s the invasion of the idiots.” (Trans. T. Bolin)
Last September the Guardian reported “migrant sea route to Italy is the most world’s lethal. More than 10 thousand migrants died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea since 2014, according the IOM – International Organization of Migration"
IOM pubblications here
Talking about sociology of the spectacles Benjamin says “the replacement of narration by information, of information by sensation, reflects the increasing atrophy of experience. It is not the object of the story to convey an happening per se, rather it embed it in the life of the storyteller in order to pass it on as an experience”.
Migrant images spread by media not only don’t give justice to the demographic, economic and social profile of the migratory phenomenon, but also contributes to feed the labelling and categorization process from which stereotypes arise.
2nd September 2015, the 3-YEAR-OLD Alan Kurdi drowned. The picture has been used by governments to proclaim “never again!”, to increase political consensus, to fuel controversies.
Alan’s father declared “The Photo of my dead son’s changed nothing” full article here
Jo Spence (1934 London - 1992 London) in her The Politics of Photography underlines that both the commercial and "charity" photography are one sided account of the situation.
"some of them (photographers) now employ quite sophisticated techniques to attract our attention and make us feel guilty. Using international advertisment agencies we are sold the illustrated saga of the under priviledged and those suffering from the "cycle of deprivation"(or exploitation?).(...) Usually tastefully designed pictures of women and children on the covers on glossy paper, are taken by people of a different social class form those depicted (my case). They have a difficult task seeing in the medium of photography the only way in which they can help present a case of consideration (...)However such a "victim" can react very violently when faced with pictures of themeselves as potential recipients of charity hand-outs. The integrity of photographers faced with this situation. Evenutally, when such pictures (heavily edited) are used, they are accompanied by statements which dissociate themeselves from politics. Such reports and appeals are financed by governments or charities whose terms of reference seem to force the use of countless euphemisms or total exclusion of the contraddictions of local and central government policies, or the part played by profeeting in the text accompanying photographs. It is almost if such appeals where all part of some secret ritual in which the "facts" are presented for consideration, but presented in such a way that we remain mystified as to the real causes, or even the blaming of victims."
How can I avoid unfortunate situations? (link in progress)
7th November 2017 a Spanish war ship carried to Italy 26 bodies, alongside with other 375 migrants, including pregnant women and unaccompanied minors. Of the 26 dead young women, only 5 have been identified. It is not hard to understand why women and children are the most exposed to danger.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/18/refugees-tortured-raped-squalid-desert-camps-arrest-somali-sadist/
There are 3 main sites that I’m planning to visit: Palermo- ,where reception centres are mainly located, Mineo, - the largest refugee camp in Europe (which is truly ghetto) and Pozzallo, – Where the rescue ships (and few lucky immigrant's scows) arrive.(Details here link in progress)
Migration is treated with sensationalism; in the first image we can see an example of Italian right-wing press saying “the equation of terror: more immigrants equals more terroristic attacks”.
In the second picture Trump is showing the fresh signed Muslim ban. In this Surrounding environment I can see some similarities with the nazi-fascist rhetoric in this built Islamophobia.
Racism is a global problem as well as sexism. It is a widespread phenomenon with psycho-physical and social consequences. A number of studies conducted by universities and associations around the globe shows
how chauvinism is a major social and human right problem, manifested in different ways depending on the context.
How women refugees lives in this social climate? What are their thoughts about the situation? Who are they? What is my goal of representation? I must keep focus on the fact that in some societies, women and girls face discrimination and violence every day, simply because of their gender.
Insights
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-migrants-libya-italy-europe-mediterranean-sea-eu-libya-deal-detention-camps-torture-a7718346.html
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/03/the-eu-turkey-deal-europes-year-of-shame/
https://business-humanrights.org/en/hm-on-syrian-refugee-in-turkey
https://business-humanrights.org/en/responses-by-garment-brands-to-our-questionnaire-on-the-treatment-of-syrian-refugees-in-turkish-supplier-factories
https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/background-information/eu_turkey_statement_17032017_en.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-39567632
