Europe today is facing unprecedented waves of migrants arriving from Africa, as well as from war zones of the Middle East. This collaborative seminar researches the idea that peoples on the move have defined European cultures over centuries. We study the literary and visual arts in historical depth. Work is organized around combinations of essays, novels, and art objects. Major authors in Romance traditions include Marco Polo, the picaresque, Khatibi, the “bohemian”, Montesquieu, Enard -Abirached. The Nasher Museum collections give students material to research for contributing to virtual exhibits on the arts of migration.
Image: Joachim Patinir, detail.
