Europe and the migrant’s gaze: three approaches to migration in research and film

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores questions of positionality in relation to the gaze towards migrants; it is centred on an analysis of three films produced in Europe in the wake of public discussions on migration. It argues that each of these films shows an affinity with one of three possible theoretical approaches in migration research: Fuocoammare is interpreted as corresponding to the mainstream scientific gaze and the humanitarian gesture; Les Sauteurs is considered in relation to the ‘autonomy of migration’ paradigm followed in much critical migration research; and Those who feel the fire burning is analysed through the haunting paradigm or ‘spectral turn’ that has been incipiently explored with regards to migration. I develop parallels between the films’ conceptual and visual positioning and these research approaches, formulating questions of relationality towards migrants before European audiences. Rather than presenting an analysis of the films for their formal or aesthetic qualities, they are taken as a point of entry to reflect on our own positionality and choices as scholars.