Spaces of Memory, Spaces of Belonging: Home in Postcolonial Italy

Abstract

This chapter outlines the aims of the book, its structure, its methodology and the corpus, which comprises a selection of journalistic sources and Italian postcolonial literary texts (primarily by Ali Farah, Lakhous, Scego and Wadia). The chapter contextualises the idea of home in a context of mobility suggesting that home is a constantly evolving concept that can be embodied by a multiplicity of places. The places selected in this book, namely the train station, the phone centre, the condominio, the bedroom and the bathroom, are recurring spaces in Italian postcolonial literature. By connecting the present location to past homes and through a series of home-making practices, these places allow the characters to develop a sense of self, of belonging, of home; they become home spaces.