Island of Hope Migration and Solidarity in the Mediterranean

"Megan Carney's work attempts to change our perspective on the issue of migration. Instead of approaching it as a problem or a crisis, she looks at migration as a site for potential hope and transformation. By centering on the lived experiences of people who perform 'solidarity work' in Sicily, the author explores the complexities and tensions that emerge from the encounter of different subjects—the migrants on the one hand and the Sicilian 'solidarity workers' on the other—but also the opportunities for solidarity and change that emerge from this encounter."—Francesca Degiuli, author of Caring for a Living: Migrant Women, Aging Citizens, and Italian Families

"A rigorously researched, innovative, and theoretically rich study of the 'work' of migrant solidarity in Sicily. Carney brings together an analysis of austerity politics with the politics of migration, showing how these overlapping 'crises' intersect in crucial (and often neglected) ways. This ethnographically rich book is an important contribution to the anthropology of the Mediterranean and critical migration studies."—Heath Cabot, author of On the Doorstep of Europe: Asylum and Citizenship in Greece

"Carney carefully illuminates the importance of solidarity work and collective action through a deeply moving ethnography of the experiences of migrants and those who seek to protect them. Island of Hope is a stunning example of feminist and emancipatory scholarship."—Teresa Mares, author of Life on the Other Border: Farmworkers and Food Justice in Vermont

"The ongoing marginalization of Southern Europe and of migrants to the region comes through clearly in Carney's recounting and analysis, as do the creative forms of local resistance. An example of ethnography at its finest: vivid accounts of lived experiences in context, with accessible theory and insights."—Bayla Ostrach, Assistant Professor of Medical Anthropology and Family Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine

With thousands of migrants attempting the perilous maritime journey from North Africa to Europe each year, transnational migration is a defining feature of social life in the Mediterranean today. On the island of Sicily, where many migrants first arrive and ultimately remain, the contours of migrant reception and integration are frequently animated by broader concerns for human rights and social justice. Island of Hope sheds light on the emergence of social solidarity initiatives and networks forged between citizens and noncitizens who work together to improve local livelihoods and mobilize for radical political change. Basing her argument on years of ethnographic fieldwork with frontline communities in Sicily, anthropologist Megan Carney asserts that such mobilizations hold significance not only for the rights of migrants, but for the material and affective well-being of society at large.