Women cross borders: economic migration in contemporary Italian and Polish graphic novels

Abstract

This article provides a comparative analysis of two European graphic novels of the past decade that focus on the theme of female economic migration, namely Sara Colaone’s Ciao ciao bambina (2010) and Agata Wawryniuk’s Rozmówki polsko-angielskie (2012). By exploring these two distinctive immigrant stories, which depict the Italian migration to Switzerland in the 1950s and the contemporary Polish migration to Britain, respectively, this article illustrates the shifting experiences of mobility in Europe across decades. While the Italian narrative presents the stay abroad as a chance to achieve independence and personal fulfilment, the Polish comic views it as a mere financial opportunity. This article argues that, despite these differences and the distinct social, cultural and historical contexts, the two works belie the stereotypical representations of migration as a predominantly male phenomenon and show the ability of female workers to execute agency as both jobseekers and independent individuals who are undeterred by the challenges of their immigrant lives.