Italy from Emigration to an Immigration country

The 7th public event within the EUROCLIO “Connecting Europe through History-Experiences and Perceptions of Migrations in Europe” took place in Bologna, Italy on September 5th. EUROCLIO joined with LANDIS – the National Laboratory for History Education in Italy – EVROPAEVM and ISHA, the International Students of History Associations to organize an In-Service Teacher Training Event. The diverse backgrounds of the participants ranging from History Teachers and Teacher Trainers to Journalists and Academics engaged the participants in lively debates. Gabriela Jacomella, journalist, gave a lecture on “Media and Migrants in Europe: A Narrative of Absence” stressing the difficulty to get the right information about Migrants as their voice is rarely quoted in the press. Gianluca Pipitone, currently serving in the Polizia di Stato, shared his experience working in the Immigration Office of the Department of Public Safety of the Ministry of Interior, giving a lecture on “Immigration Law and Protection of Human Rights in the Mediterranean Sea, a Higher Role for Europe”. During the Round Table discussion brought up the general impression that, while Migrations are a big and multi-facetted problem in present-day Italy and Europe, things are slowly changing or about to change at one of the roots, which is History Education.

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