Reframing Journeys

Debates and discourses surrounding migration—particularly in Europe—are dominated by narratives centred on security and crisis management. The distortion this creates in the public perception of migrants, alongside the xenophobia it indirectly fuels, obscures the social, political, and cultural contributions that define these exchanges.

This series of essays seeks to demonstrate how, through media, art, and literature, migration to the European continent does not merely entail adaptation but actively shapes and enriches host societies. Drawing from philosophical, cultural and media studies and sociological perspectives, the authors propose a kaleidoscopic view of migratory processes, recontextualising concepts, periods, and interactions in the contemporary world. Here, migration emerges as a dynamic and creative force capable of reframing cultural and social action—both for host and origin communities—as well as redefining notions of belonging and group identity.

Simultaneously, the essays call for a re-evaluation of hospitality policies and cultural rights, essential to understanding the transformative capacity of existing structures—and the potential to reimagine them through a new lens.

Javier Jurado is a researcher and lecturer in cultural and media history. He teaches Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Lille within the Culture and Media undergraduate programme. His work explores the history of media and cultural industries, drawing on perspectives from communication history, political economy and discourse analysis.

Dagmar Vandebosch is Professor of Hispanic literatures at KU Leuven. Her research interests focus on the construction of (trans)national cultural identities in Spanish-language narrative prose and essays and on Hispanic literature in intercultural contexts. She has studied literature and documentary film in contexts of exile, migration, travel and tourism.