The press of political exiles in the Mediterranean (19th-20th century) : a practice of resistance?

Argument

Exile became an integral part of the repertoire of political action in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As a special category of immigration, exile implies the political nature of the departure from the country of origin. From the ordinary use of the term ‘exile’ to the definition of the legal category of refugee adopted by the International Geneva Convention in 1951, as ‘a person with a well-founded fear of being persecuted and not merely the victim of persecution’[1], the deployment of political activities directed towards the country of origin and challenging the legitimacy of the regime or government in place in order to promote a major transformation or the elimination of the latter, is a fundamental dimension of the experience of political exile[2] .

From the exiles of the Napoleonic Wars to the exiles of the Paris Commune, from the Russian exiles of the inter-war period to the exiles of dictatorships in Southern Europe, from the persecuted exiles of dictatorial regimes in South America (Argentina, Chile) to the dissidents of the Cold War, from the exiles of the colonial and/or neo-colonial order to the anti-fascist exiles of the 1920s and 1930s, the Mediterranean is at the heart of these movements, as it often represented a refuge for these exiles. In the context of « exopolitie »[3], the publication of periodicals (newspapers, magazines, newsletters) by exiles is one of the ways in which they express their opposition to the political regime in place in their country of origin..

The conference on ‘The press of political exiles in the Mediterranean (19th-20th centuries) : a practice of resistance’ will look at the periodicals produced by political exiles and refugees in the Mediterranean area, and more specifically in maritime and port cities, where this press had been published and circulated internationally. Apart from the diversity of the ideological orientations of the editors, but also the political situations in their countries of origin, linguistic practices vary as well between titles appearing in the official language of the country of exile and those published in another language. This allophone corpus, which brings together publications in languages other than those established/recognised as official and/or minority ones in the area where they are published, occupies a special place in the study of the phenomenon of political exile.

Among the areas of research proposed for papers at this conference are :

• mapping the editorial landscape of the exile press

• study the different types of publications

• map out the careers of the main contributors (publishers, authors, printers, etc.)

• explore the networks that have supported them and the relationships established between the various publishing initiatives

• see how this press contributes to the creation of categories of exile and political exile

• examine the role of this press in the general movement of people and ideas, the cultural transfers to which they have given rise, and the resulting mixed identities

• contribute to understanding the strategies of those involved in promoting ideological and aesthetic prerogatives

• assess the influence of this press in the countries of origin of their publishers and readers (cultural, political influence, etc.)

Submission Guidlines

If you would like to take part in this conference, please send your proposal in French or English, of 250-300 words maximum, followed by a brief bio-bibliographical presentation,  to the following addresses : alessandra.marchi@unica.it and nicolas.pitsos@bulac.fr .

before 15 April 2025

The working languages of the meeting will be English and French.

Organisation Committee

Marchi Alessandra (Université de Cagliari)

Pitsos Nicolas (CHCSC/Paris-Saclay)

Scientific Committee

• Cooper-Richet Diana (CHCSC/Université Paris-Saclay)
• Felici Isabelle (Université de Montpellier) 
• Finzi Silvia (Université de Tunis/Institut italien Dante Alighieri, Tunis)
• Manduchi Patrizia (Université de Cagliari)
• Marchi Alessandra (Université de Cagliari)
• Martelliere Marie-Delphine (Centre d’études alexandrines)
• Michailidis Iakovos (Université Aristote de Thessalonique) 
• Paonessa Costantino (Université de Bologna)
• Pitsos Nicolas (CHCSC/Université Paris-Saclay)
• Rondinelli Francesca (Université Grenoble Alpes)
• Ruiz Acosta Maria José (Université de Séville)
• Servant Catherine (CREE/Inalco)
• Stead Evanghelia (CHCSC/Université Paris-Saclay)
• Toumarkine Alexandre (CREE/Inalco)

Notes

[1] Delphine Diaz, Un asile pour tous les peuples, Paris, Armand Colin 2014.

[2] Stéphane Dufoix, « La communauté politique des exilés, une nation hors l’État », Hommes et migrations, 2005, n°125, pp. 6-14.

[3]A term coined by Stéphane Dufoix to describe the political space formed by relations of alliance or opposition between groups or individuals engaged in a political struggle against the regime in place in their country of origin.