The Challenges of Mobility

Research, Debates and Practices

Edited By: Serene Huleileh, Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio

£47.99

This book arose from a shortage of literature on mobility as a tool for learning, dialogue, and artistic exchange. How does mobility alter geographies and create new narratives? This volume provides fresh perspectives on the crucial challenges of mobility.

We work, travel, learn, seek, reflect, take part in dialogues, meet, discuss, and try to create a convivial atmosphere: this is the life story of…

We work, travel, learn, seek, reflect, take part in dialogues, meet, discuss, and try to create a convivial atmosphere: this is the life story of the Arab Education Forum, and this is also how the story of this book started: from two seminars held three years apart, the idea of this book arose from an evident shortage of literature and knowledge about mobility as a tool for learning, dialogue, and artistic exchange and as a new-old paradigm around the Mediterranean basin.

But what kind of knowledge, ideas and visions, do mobility practices generate? How does mobility, and its restrictions, produce and contrast the transformation and alteration of geographies, borders, territories, cities and conflict areas? How do mobility practices contribute to creating new narratives, cultural representations and counter-representations? How could cultural mobility contribute to a responsible and sustainable transformation of society? What are the impacts of mobility? What can be learned through the analysis of the relationship between mobility, art, education, intercultural dialogue, human rights and volunteerism?

The present volume covers and reflects on these several crucial issues that shape the contemporary age, and provides some new and fresh perspectives about the challenges of mobility.

Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio received a PhD in Art History, Theory and Criticism from the University of Barcelona. He is a faculty member at Transart Institute (NY-Berlin) and was Post-Doctoral Visiting Researcher at the United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility (UNU-GCM). His current lines of investigation involve the subjects of intercultural processes, globalization and mobility in contemporary art and cultural policies, the interactions between artistic, educational, media and cultural practices in the Mediterranean and the cultural cooperation between Asia and Europe. As an art critic, editor and independent curator, he writes extensively for several international magazines.

Serene Huleileh is a cultural activist, debka dancer, researcher, writer, and translator/interpreter. She has been active in the artistic and community education scenes in both Palestine and Jordan since 1990. In 2000, she established the regional office for the Arab Education Forum, founded by Dr Munir Fasheh, and became its regional director, developing projects and partnerships with and for youth, community educators, and artists across the Arab world. Over the years, she has written several articles and research papers on youth volunteerism, community education and cultural action, and has recently published a book documenting and reflecting on the experience of the El Funoon Palestinian dance troupe over the span of 36 years.

Ghassan Abdullah, Francois Bouda, Angie Cotte, Mary Ann DeVlieg, Cristina Farinha, Nesma Gewily, Saad Hajo, Serene Huleileh, Slavica Ilieska, Mais Irqsusi, Raouf Karray, Todd Lester, Isin Onol, Cristina Ortega Nuere, Christoforos Pavlakis, Ines Soria-Donlan, Rami Takrouri, Taiwo Afolabi