Immigration and the Crisis

Posted on May 10, 2012 by wpadmin

By Tara Tosten, NYU Florence student and Economics major

Immigration. It is a fairly strong word, rich with connotation. In America, often bad connotations, citizens debate over how the increasing number of foreigners are taking domestic jobs and propose measures as strong as putting up a large fence to keep away the immigrants entering the country illegally. Add on to this the issue of the economic crisis and the tempers begin to swell. It is a strong word to say the least, and yet heated is not how I would to describe LPD’s Dialogue on immigration and the crisis, organized with the EUI and held in the Teatro of the Badia Fiesolana. At the start of the Dialogue Jaris Panagiotidis mentioned that it is interesting to discuss a topic so wrought with tension with economists. From an economical perspective immigration is a good thing overall. As George Borjas noted, as in all things there are winners and there are losers, as far as immigration goes, the workers are the losers because they are competing for jobs and face lower salaries than they otherwise would. Yet the producers and consumers are the winners, those who benefit from cheaper products and in the end increased GDP. Economics is there to point out who will win and who will lose, the costs and benefits, while policy makers are there to decide how much the workers will lose, and how much everyone else will gain.

Badara Seck meets with NYU Florence Music Students

Posted on April 4, 2012 by wpadmin

Badara Seck, renowned Senegalese singer and musician, met with NYU Florence music students on March 20 to talk about the griot tradition in music, the fusion of different musical traditions and the importance of music in fostering dialogue in today’s multicultural societies. Through anecdotes from his childhood, Badara explained how music is integrated into the daily life of the village where he grew up, and plays a central part in preserving the village’s long history. The integration of improvisation, and informal “making music together”, as explained by Mr. Seck, provided a refreshing relief to the students heavily academic program. The encounter closed with an improvised performance by Badara Seck and NYU Music Program coordinator Greg Burk.

The Africa See You, See Me Photography Exhibition opens in Beijing!

Posted on April 27, 2011 by wpadmin

Following Florence and Rome, the Africa See You, See Me Photography Exhibition has opened at Li-Space in Beijing China. Check it out!

A European Reflects on the Transatlantic Dialogue on Migration

Posted on June 6, 2009 by wpadmin

By Maurizio Ambrosini, University of Milan

Even though contemporary migrations are transnational processes, studies of migration are most often focused on a single country, especially receiving countries that question regulations for entry and the social integration of new residents. International comparison and the exchange of knowledge is, however, extremely important, both to help us better understand the phenomena surrounding migration and to contribute to a better management of them. From the point of view of one country – Italy – which has only recently joined the scholarly community of research on international migration, it is even more important to participate in dialogue with and to take lessons from the experience of countries that have a longer tradition of research and management of migratory processes. I, thus, participated with great interest in NYU’s Transatlantic Dialogue on Migration. I was both curious and fascinated: one, for the opportunity to interact with esteemed American scholars on the subject, two, for the interdisciplinary perspective it adopted – in which sociology, political science, law, economics and other disciplines entered into dialogue – three, for the exchange with the European University Institute, four, for the place given to local political actors and practitioners specialized in welcoming and integrating migrants. The impeccable organization, unique setting and excellent staff contributed to the event’s success. I think the lessons to be taken from the conference can be reduced to three key points:

a complex theme like migration must be addressed in an interdisciplinary optic, weaving together different knowledge and points of view
comparison and exchange between the two sides of the Atlantic has great potential for reciprocal enrichment.
it is essential that scientific research and political action dialogue with one another, while recognizing the respective roles of each.

It seems to me that last March’s meeting could be seen as the beginning of an exchange that should be built upon and that I hope could become permanent: a recurrent meeting that would allow us to compare our respective findings and the questions our research raises for us. As is widely known, immigration is a very controversial issue in contemporary Italian politics. It is treated with a very ideological approach, principally oriented towards security concerns. Hostile rhetoric towards our new residents dominates the discourse in institutional bodies, both national and local. A serious knowledge of the issue of immigration, freed from simplistic polemics, would represent an antidote against the poison of prejudice, simplification and xenophobic impulses.