Exiles and Migrants: Crossing Thresholds in European Culture and Society

The situation of exiles and migrants stands at the crux of the existential, as well as economic-political internationalism of the 20th century. This collection of essays begins by tracing the fundamental presuppositions of socio-cultural encounters arising out of migration in the 17th to 19th centuries. Next, the 20th-century experience of cultural and personal identity faced by those who chose, or were compelled, to leave behind family, homeland, mode of life, and perhaps even language, is explored. Major literary and conematic representations of cross-cultural contact and exchange in modern Europe and its (ex-)colonies are considered, including the relationship between European societies and their new ethnic minorities. Major inter-cultural encounters characteristic of 19th and 20th century Europe are tackled, including the post-colonial relationship between European societies and their new ethnic minorities, in which the descendants of Empire and the new subjects of European economic expansion struggle to find their voice. Finally, a close look is given to the specific role of the writer and text in a society of intercultural pluralism, where language itself becomes and eploration of possible voices and identities.