A Planetary Via Crucis
Migration and Translation in the Work of Emily Jacir and Valeria Luiselli
abstract
This essay explores the nexus between translation and migration via two works of art that deal explicitly with the “migration crisis” in Europe and North America. Via Crucis is an art installation by Emily Jacir (2016) in the Chiesa di San Raffaele in Milan, while Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli (2017) records the author’s reflections on the screening sessions of child asylum seekers after they have crossed the US-Mexico border. In both texts, translation is central to how the stories of migration are told and, this essay argues, it should be central also to the way in which they are read and received.
Keywords: Reading • Translation • Emily Jacir • Migration • Valeria Luiselli