Quando la mediazione culturale si fa territorio: un caso di studio

When Cultural Mediation Becomes Territory: A Case Study In recent years, the events related to migratory flows in the Mediterranean, their government as well as press and media reports have attracted the attention of civil society on the issue of asylum seekers and on the spaces and reception systems for them, leaving hidden those migratory realities which, in different forms and evolutionary phases, continue to be present in our urban areas, inhabiting and living them, and towards which the activities of many subjects are proceeding: from the neighboring networks to the services and the associations. This contribution presents the case study of Terra dei Popoli, an association of cultural mediation, that is expanding more and more its professional proposal taking on the strong reference to the territory, starting from the peculiarities of the town of Verona and of its neighborhoods. This case offers the possibility to reflect on both the centrality of the territorial dimension in the action of associations dealing with foreign residents and integration processes and on the role that the geographical contribution can play in these projects as well as in the public sphere.

Riassunto: In questi ultimi anni gli avvenimenti legati ai flussi migratori nel Mediterraneo, il loro governo, nonché la cronaca su stampa e media, hanno attratto l’attenzione della società civile sul tema dei richiedenti asilo e sugli spazi e i sistemi di accoglienza a loro rivolti, lasciando sottotraccia quella realtà migratoria che, nelle sue diverse forme e fasi evolutive, continua a essere presente nelle aree urbane, abitandole e vivendole, e verso cui proseguono le attività di molti soggetti, dalle reti di vicinato, ai servizi, alle associazioni. Il lavoro presenta il caso studio di Terra dei Popoli, associazione di mediazione culturale che, nel tempo, ha specificato la sua proposta professionale assumendo sempre più un riferimento forte al territorio, a partire dalle peculiarità della città di Verona e dei suoi quartieri. Tale caso può costituire un contributo alla riflessione sia sulla centralità della dimensione territoriale nell’azione delle associazioni che si occupano di stranieri residenti e di processi di integrazione, sia sul ruolo che l’apporto geografico può rivestire in queste progettualità e, di riflesso, nella sfera pubblica. When cultural mediation becomes territory: a case study Abstract: In recent years, the events related to migratory flows in the Mediterranean, their government as well as press and media reports have attracted the attention of civil society on the issue of asylum seekers and on the spaces and reception systems for them, leaving hidden those migratory realities which, in different forms and evolutionary phases, continue to be present in our urban areas, inhabiting and living them, and towards which the activities of many subjects are proceeding: from the neighboring networks to the services and the associations. This contribution presents the case study of Terra dei Popoli, an association of cultural mediation, that is expanding more and more its professional proposal taking on the strong reference to the territory, starting from the peculiarities of the town of Verona and of its neighborhoods. This case offers the possibility to reflect on both the centrality of the territorial dimension in the action of associations dealing with foreign residents and integration processes and on the role that the geographical contribution can play in these projects as well as in the public sphere.