Mater omnium. A study of belonging, care and social change in superdiverse Italy

Abstract

Crisis can be considered a context in the modern European narrative, as economy, mass-migrations and environmental factors create a superdiverse, ever shifting social and cultural pavement. Set in Ostia, a suburban area of Rome, under the spotlight due to the influence of organized crime and the raising conflicts between socio political realities, this paper investigate how solidarity and belonging are created in a superdiverse liquid modern context. It follows Angela, an Italian woman that has been living and protecting a squat hosting more than 150 migrants for more than 25 years. It uses a biographic approach to social navigation and visual research methods to examine past and present conflicts and social fields, focusing on her role as a cultural entrepreneur, a mediator and as an agent of change.