Podcasting the Italian Postcolonial: An Analysis of Black Coffee and S/Confini

Abstract

This article examines two podcasts, Black Coffee and S/Confini, authored by Italian second-generation migrants. Podcasting has recently been recognised as an independent medium that allows unheard minorities’ voices to emerge. The aim of the article is twofold. Firstly, it tackles the question to what extent Black Coffee and S/Confini can be understood as part of a bigger phenomenon of an online presence of migrants and second-generation migrants counter-narrating traditional Italian media, following the postcolonial paradigm. Secondly, it reflects upon the effects of this phenomenon on contemporary Italian society. Being run mostly by women, and discussing topics such as race, Italian blackness, migration, and identity, these podcasts stand in contrast to the Italian mainstream narrative still imprinted by racist stereotypes. Finally, I demonstrate that podcasts and virtual spaces created by the second generation not only are spaces apt for the creation of a shared collective memory, but also foster a political fight for equal rights.