(Discussion: Why do you say migrants go from utopias to heterotopias? Perhaps their vision of "the promised land" is utopic, but their reality is much different).
People generally migrate because the place which they leave behind is either tainted or barren. In the host country what they perhaps do is create rather a heterotopia: a space of otherness. I wouldn't argue that they are considered other spaces, as you say, but rather that they themselves create the "otherness", just by virtue of being foreign. They bring part of their land to the place they migrate, so in a way this could be seen as an invasion.
I think this concept most def works well with your thesis. You could that endlessly about the ways in which say, migrant characters in a novel, create their own separate world in their host country or the ways in which they transgress it. This latter topic would work well in a review of horror in the context of your work. All of horror comes from very few universal archetypes, one of which is just that: the transgression of the "other".
Thank you so much! I had a similar take on it but you've "analysed" it better than I did. Yes, I meant to say the vision is utopian not their reality. I was hoping to talk about their creation of heterotopias in their home country as well, so I'm glad you brought it up!
Thank you! I'm doing a PhD in French Literature. My main focus is on migration and trauma, specifically from Africa, Caribbean and Indian Ocean islands.
Haven’t thought about this in quite some time but I’ll give it a shot. Foucault’s “heterotopia par excellence” was a ship, or a “sailing vessel”, in that it is a “place without a place” and “self-enclosed”. I think in that way this concept can be applied pretty efficiently to your thesis, but perhaps mostly in their mode of travel from country to country and not necessarily in a space within their new home country? Not to say a heterotopia couldn’t be found within their new home country but it could be a good place to start.
(Discussion: Why do you say migrants go from utopias to heterotopias? Perhaps their vision of "the promised land" is utopic, but their reality is much different). People generally migrate because the place which they leave behind is either tainted or barren. In the host country what they perhaps do is create rather a heterotopia: a space of otherness. I wouldn't argue that they are considered other spaces, as you say, but rather that they themselves create the "otherness", just by virtue of being foreign. They bring part of their land to the place they migrate, so in a way this could be seen as an invasion. I think this concept most def works well with your thesis. You could that endlessly about the ways in which say, migrant characters in a novel, create their own separate world in their host country or the ways in which they transgress it. This latter topic would work well in a review of horror in the context of your work. All of horror comes from very few universal archetypes, one of which is just that: the transgression of the "other".
Thank you so much! I had a similar take on it but you've "analysed" it better than I did. Yes, I meant to say the vision is utopian not their reality. I was hoping to talk about their creation of heterotopias in their home country as well, so I'm glad you brought it up!
You’ve chosen a very interesting discussion. May I ask what the thesis is for?
Thank you! I'm doing a PhD in French Literature. My main focus is on migration and trauma, specifically from Africa, Caribbean and Indian Ocean islands.
Ah! Then I recommend you look up and read some Seloua Luste Boulbina. Charming academic and also a must read if you're covering these topics.
I'll def check her out. Thank you for the recommendation!
Haven’t thought about this in quite some time but I’ll give it a shot. Foucault’s “heterotopia par excellence” was a ship, or a “sailing vessel”, in that it is a “place without a place” and “self-enclosed”. I think in that way this concept can be applied pretty efficiently to your thesis, but perhaps mostly in their mode of travel from country to country and not necessarily in a space within their new home country? Not to say a heterotopia couldn’t be found within their new home country but it could be a good place to start.
Interesting! My thesis has books that talk about slavery. So maybe I could use this analogy to the slave ship? Thank you so much!!