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Europe and the Mediterranean Events Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Socio-economic issues and migrations

28esima edizione MED FILM FESTIVAL 2023

MEDFILM FESTIVAL 2022:
IL CINEMA DEL MEDITERRANEO A ROMA

Dal 3 al 13 novembre torna il MedFilm Festival, il più longevo festival di cinema della Capitale, il primo e unico evento cinematografico italiano dedicato alle cinematografie del Mediterraneo, che per dodici giorni guarderà, attraverso il Cinema, la letteratura, l’industry, ai temi cruciali dell’oggi.

www.medfilmfestival.org

Categories
Europe and the Mediterranean Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Internships and Seminars Social inclusion and fight against discriminations Youth and the Mediterranean

TIROCINIO LABORATORIALE MEDFILM FESTIVAL A.A. 2021-22

“Mi trovo spesso a disagio con il sostantivo cultura…… Se penso alla ragione di ciò mi rendo conto che gran parte del disagio dovuto al sostantivo ha a che fare con il preconcetto che la cultura sia un qualche oggetto, una cosa o una sostanza, fisica o metafisica. Questa sostanziazione sembra riportare la cultura entro lo spazio discorsivo della razza, e cioè proprio entro quell’ idea per contrastare la quale era stata in origine concepita. Se implica una sostanza mentale, il sostantivo cultura privilegia di fatto quell’idea di condivisione, accordo e compiutezza che contrasta fortemente con quel che sappiamo sui dislivelli di conoscenza e sul prestigio differenziale degli stili di vita e distoglie l’attenzione dalle concezioni e dall’azione di coloro che sono emarginati e dominati. Se è invece vista come una sostanza fisica, la cultura comincia allora a puzzare di qualche varietà di biologismo, inclusa la razza, che abbiamo sicuramente superato come categorie scientifiche”.

Arjun Appadurai, Antropologo, Professore di Media, Culture and Communication alla New York University

Cos’è il laboratorio

(a cura di Laura Guazzone, Professoressa di Storia Contemporanea del mondo arabo; Ada Barbaro, Professoressa di Letteratura contemporanea del mondo arabo; Francesco Zappa, Professore di Islamistica)

L’obiettivo del laboratorio è stimolare e migliorare le capacità di riflessione e dibattito dei tirocinanti sulle opere viste durante l’esperienza come membri della Giuria Universitaria del MedFilm Festival in relazione ai temi affrontati nel tirocinio. Il laboratorio si è svolto in un incontro online che si è svolto dalle 10 alle 13 dell’11 febbraio 2022 sulla piattaforma Zoom. Il laboratorio è stato diviso in tre sezioni tematiche denominate “focus”.

FOCUS TEMATICI:

1. Cultura e identità nel Mediterraneo  > Letture di Ugo Fabietti, Alessia Melcangi, Francesco Remotti, Marco Antonio Pirrone.

2. Cinema, letteratura e questioni di genere nel Mediterraneo > Letture di Veronica Flora, Aldo Nicosia, Marco Antonio Pirrone, Olga Solombrino.

3. Diritti umani e islam nel Mediterraneo > Letture di Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, Marco Antonio Pirrone, Francesco Zappa.

Come si svolge il laboratorio

 Ciascuno studente sarà “oratore” in uno dei tre focus, a sua scelta, e  “commentatore” negli altri due.  In ogni focus ciascun “oratore” ha illustrato al gruppo il proprio discorso attraverso il supporto di slides, il proprio personale percorso di collegamento culturale tra i temi del focus approfonditi nelle letture assegnate e le opere di cui è stato spettatore nel MedFilm Festival. Al termine di tutte le presentazioni di ciascun focus, i commentatori hanno espresso brevemente i propri commenti (di accordo o disaccordo) sulle presentazioni degli “oratori” e analizzato insieme in che modo i film o i documentari visti al MedFilm Festival hanno affrontato/interpretato gli argomenti dei focus nella prospettiva delle analisi delle letture proposte.

“(…) Cosa c’è dopo avere sostenuto (l’ho fatto nel libro L’ossessione identitaria del 2010) che l’identità è un mito, è un mito pernicioso, un mito di cui ci si può liberare? Cosa c’è al posto delle identità? Al posto delle identità sono affiorate le somiglianze. Non è che prima non ci fossero: semplicemente erano tenute nascoste dalle identità, dalla politica delle identità. Le identità tagliano via le somiglianze, le negano (i nazisti negavano qualunque somiglianza con gli ebrei, gli hutu con i tutsi e così via). Ma se ci si libera del pensiero identitario, le somiglianze — dotate di resilienza — riaffiorano. Ho dedicato un libro alle Somiglianze per rendermi conto che esse non sono soltanto in superficie: sono in profondità, perché coincidono con i legami che connettono le varie cose del mondo, compresi i “noi”, compresi i noi identitari. Riconoscere le somiglianze significa aprire una via per la convivenza. Il percorso è poi tutto ancora da compiere (…)”

(estratto da Intervista all’antropologo Francesco Remotti, professore emerito all’Università di Torino, a cura di Daniela Monti)

Professoressa Laura Guazzone, Professor Francesco Zappa, Studentesse del tirocinio

Professoressa Ada Barbaro, Studentesse e Studenti del tirocinio

«(…) L’universalità deve essere costruita attraverso l’idea di consenso progressivo. Per raggiungerlo è necessario tener conto delle relazioni di potere. Questo vale per ogni tipo di universalismo, non solo
per le fedi (…) Il mio scopo è creare consapevolezza della necessità di ricorrere a forme alternative di potere come le istituzioni internazionali. Non lasciare che gli stati si risolvano le questioni fra di loro ma coinvolgere tutta l’umanità… mi sembra che le due cose siano parecchio diverse. Per parlare di dialogo interreligioso, tolleranza e rispetto e per praticarli, servono istituzioni e sistemi normativi. Finché restano il tentativo di singoli, non hanno possibilità di riuscita, ma se si lavora insieme, non si penserà più in termini di quello che l’altro vuole estorcermi o impormi, ma in termini di comunità umana (…)» (da Diritti umani tra potere duro e potere morbido di Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im)

Categories
Focus Freedom of expression Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Social inclusion and fight against discriminations

New Trends in Identity Politics in the Middle East and North Africa and Their Impact on State–Society Relations

Title: New Trends in Identity Politics in the Middle East and North Africa and Their Impact on State–Society Relations

Authors: Silvia Colombo Enrico Campelli Francesca Caruso Raffaella A. Del Sarto

State–society relations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been deeply impacted by the dynamics around collective identities in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings and of other domestic and regional far-reaching developments, such as the failed coup attempt in Turkey or the ramifications of the Syrian conflict. It is therefore of utmost importance to discuss the changes (or lack thereof) in the articulation of collective identities, what pressures shape them, and what impact this has on the societal actors and ultimately on their relations with the state institutions and policies. In this regard two trends can be identified whereby pluralization and hybridization in certain countries, for example Morocco and Tunisia, stand in opposition to entrenchment and polarization, as illustrated by the Israeli and the Turkish cases. The result is heightened conflictuality in state–society relations and within societies at large in the MENA with the risk of spillovers at the regional level.

Document: www.iai.it/sites/default/files/menara_wp_14.pdf

Source: www.iai.it

Categories
Focus Gender equality

EU Approach to Gender Equality in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Region

Title: EU Approach to Gender Equality in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Region

Author: Hala Ghosheh

The EU legal and political framework reflects a strong commitment to promoting gender equality. Policy dialogue, gender mainstreaming and targeted gender programming are some of the instruments that the EU uses in “partnering countries”. There is a noticeable difference in how the EU approaches gender equality internally (within Europe) as opposed to externally (partnering countries and foreign aid), which not only reflects the economic and political “power over” approach but suggests as well that the EU is setting the gender agenda on behalf of its “partners”. The findings of this paper illustrate that the EU gender equality approach is falling short from adopting a more substantive transformative approach that would lead women to realize their “power within” to claim their rights. Furthermore, EU support to gender equality relies on short-term projects that focus on addressing “trends” determined by the international community and/or the EU priorities for the country, which undermines the substance of the international and EU agendas. On many occasions the findings show that consultations on local priorities are not sufficiently inclusive and rely on the same “favoured organizations” to inform them. The EU’s contribution to promoting gender equality was reported as insufficient, inconsistent and not responsive. MEDRESET papers indicate that gender equality was not systematically or effectively addressed in sectors of agriculture, migration, industry and energy. The mismatch between, on the one hand, the EU focus, and on the other, local priorities and addressing specific gender needs, including socio-economic needs of women, was strikingly evident. The EU role in realizing gender equality and human rights has, especially after the Arab Spring, been somewhat conflicted. EU has prioritized its self-interest and security (hidden influences and powers) over human rights and gender equality in the region. There was general agreement that the EU should “adopt a more critical stance toward human rights violations including women’s rights”.

Document: www.iai.it/sites/default/files/medreset_pp_9.pdf

Source: www.iai.it

Categories
Environment and climate change Europe and the Mediterranean Focus Gender equality Immigration Socio-economic issues and migrations Youth and the Mediterranean

Young people in the Mediterranean

Numerous of scientific publications on the subject and a large statistical data base.

POWER2YOUTH aimed at offering a comprehensive multi-level, interdisciplinary and gender-sensitive approach to the understanding of youth in the SEM (South-Eastern Mediterranean) region with a cross-national comparative design (case studies of Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Turkey). In particular, it explored the root causes of youth exclusion at three different levels of analysis (macro, meso and micro), while also investigating the role of youth collective and individual agency in challenging different forms of power. 

Website POWER2YOUTH. A Comprehensive Approach to the Understanding of Youth Exclusion and the Prospects for Youth-led Change in the South and East Mediterranean

Categories
Africa and the Mediterranean Conflicts Freedom of expression Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Social inclusion and fight against discriminations Socio-economic issues and migrations

Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa: Mapping the Field and Addressing Policy Dilemmas at the Post-2011 Juncture

Title: Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa: Mapping the Field and Addressing Policy Dilemmas at the Post-2011 Juncture

Author: Katerina Dalacoura

This report offers a “map” of the diverse situations of women in the post-2011 MENA region. It shows that there have been tremendous achievements and improvements in the lives of women in health and education but less progress in employment; and that legal inequalities remain widespread, as do limitations on women’s participation in politics and civil society. The report analyses the impact of recent events, particularly the conflicts, but also the political opportunities that came about as a result of the 2011 Arab uprisings. It also touches on the situation of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) individuals, and specifically their mobilization and changing attitudes towards their rights. The report ends by focusing on Western gender policy in the region. It argues for an approach that balances the ethical demands of individual and collective rights, and for a liberal position that respects and supports women’s and LGBT rights without being overly prescriptive about the values and choices that should govern the lives of individuals.

Document: https://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/menara_fr_3.pdf

Source: www.iai.it

Categories
Conflicts Focus Freedom of expression Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Mediterranean and Middle East Social inclusion and fight against discriminations Youth and the Mediterranean

Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East: Tradition, Identity and Power (1994)

Authors: Fatma Müge Göçek & Shiva Balaghi

Employing a broad, interdisciplinary perspective on gender relations, « Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East » questions long-standing stereotypes about the traditional subordination of women in the region. With essays on gender construction in Iran, Turkey, Israel, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Occupied Territories, this collection offers a wide-ranging exploration of tradition, identity, and power in different parts of the Middle East. Seeking to overcome monolithic Western notions of women’s life in « the traditional society, » the essays in Part I reexamine the assumption that such societies leave little room for female participation. Part II focuses on the reconstruction of identities by women in Iran, Turkey, Israel, and the Occupied Territories.The authors examine the complex variables that contribute to the development of identities – including gender, class, and ethnicity – in various Middle Eastern societies, questioning whether certain identities are more important to women than others. These essays also look at the issue of group identity formation versus the autonomy of the individual. Part III looks at the relationship between gender and power in everyday life in Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, and Morocco, showing how power relations are constantly contested and renegotiated among family members and members of a community, between nations and between men and women. With its collection of enlightened and diverse contemporary perspectives on women in the Middle East, « Reconstructing Gender in the Middle East » is an important work that will have significant impact on the way we look at gender in traditional societies.

Document: https://books.google.it/books?hl=it&lr=&id=RIDouVTcz10C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=identity+middle+east&ots=Fs5DZwBKgQ&sig=5dDiPVzrUizImoBdKfQQBuX4BBA#v=onepage&q=identity%20middle%20east&f=false

Categories
Environment and climate change Europe and the Mediterranean Focus Freedom of expression Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Immigration Social inclusion and fight against discriminations Socio-economic issues and migrations Youth and the Mediterranean

Trends in Mediterranean Inequalities 1950-2015

Authors: Vittorio Daniele e Paolo Malanima (University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the trends of economic, social and political inequality among the Mediterranean countries in the period 1950-2015. After the examination of the inequalities in GDP per capita among and within nations, we present a human development index (HDI) that includes a measure of democratic achievements. The main result is that inequalities in income, after the rise from the 1950s onwards, declined from the start of the twenty-first century. Inequalities in HDI, instead, constantly diminished in the period under examination, while a process of democratization occurred. On the whole, despite the convergence among Mediterranean countries, economic inequalities are much deeper than those in social and political indicators.

Document: mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/78324/1/MPRA_paper_78324.pdf

Categories
Environment and climate change Europe and the Mediterranean Focus Freedom of expression Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Immigration Social inclusion and fight against discriminations Socio-economic issues and migrations Youth and the Mediterranean

UNCHR data on refugees in the Mediterranean area

Le portail des données opérationnelles (ODP) a été créé en 2011 pour permettre au HCR de se charger de la responsabilité institutionnelle de fournir une plate-forme de partage d’informations et de données pour faciliter la coordination des urgences de réfugiés. Ceci a été réalisé en utilisant des «vues de situation» indépendantes couvrant les urgences majeures telles que la situation en Syrie ou l’urgence en République centrafricaine et la région méditerranéenne, entre autres.

Link: data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean

Categories
Focus Freedom of expression Gender equality Human rights, identity and citizenship Social inclusion and fight against discriminations Socio-economic issues and migrations

A Social History Of Women And Gender In The Modern Middle East (1999)

meriwether margaret lee; tucker judith - a social history of women and gender in the modern middle east

Auteurs: Margaret Lee Meriwether, Judith Tucker

In this important new work, Margaret Meriwether and Judith Tucker synthesize and make accessible the results of the extensive research on women and gender done over the last twenty years. Using new theoretical approaches and methodologies as well as nontraditional sources, scholars studying women and gender issues in Middle Eastern societies have made great progress in shedding light on these complex subjects. A Social History of Women and Gender in the Modern Middle East provides an overview of this scholarship on women and gender in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Middle East.The book is organized along thematic lines that reflect major focuses of research in this area, gender and work, gender and the state, gender and law, gender and religion, and feminist movements, and each chapter is written by a scholar who has done original research on the topic. Although structured around the individual author’s own work, the chapters also include overviews and assessments of other research, highlights of ongoing debates and key issues, and comparisons across regions of the Middle East. An insightful introduction centers the various chapters around key theoretical, methodological, and historical issues and makes connections with other areas of social historical research on the Middle East and with research on gender and women’s history in other parts of the world.Although there are many studies available on women and gender, A Social History of Women and Gender in the Modern Middle East provides a breadth of coverage and assessment of the field that is not found elsewhere.

Document: books.google.it/books?hl=it&lr=&id=4QHFDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=gender+studies+middle+east&ots=WTj0Xa99Wh&sig=Q58Yw0H1EnTrS-kwbNemKGt1A3k#v=onepage&q=gender%20studies%20middle%20east&f=false