Bridging the divide : partnership and migration. A multimodal project on partnership, art and education

Abstract

In the last decade, unprecedented migration flows from the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea northwards resulted in a significant change in the ethnic and cultural composition of school populations in several European countries, not least in Malta. Teachers were faced with a wave of cultural and linguistic «diversity» for which they felt unprepared. Considering that displacement flows are expected to continue in the future, negative perspectives on migration need to be revised. The project Bridging the Divide: Partnership and Migration was an attempt to explore whether an aesthetic experience can stimulate «empathy», as part of teachers’ professional development. In line with the partnership approach, promoted by the anthropologist and social activist Riane Eisler, this article details the creation of a multimodal video production, bringing together dance, music and poetry in a visualising experience that speaks about migration in the Mediterranean Sea. The project was later implemented by two focus group sessions who dis-cussed and produced written meditations. From the participants’ answers we identified reflections that showed how a multimodal experience can work successfully in stimulating empathy with the migrant, so as to promote partnership education in teachers’ professional development.