Migrantour: Intercultural Urban Routes Un progetto di antropologia applicata tra migrazioni, turismo e patrimonio culturale

Abstract

Cultural diversity related to global migration is a key element of tourism attractiveness through which many cities have
managed to transform their multi-ethnic neighborhoods into places of leisure and
consumption. This kind of urban tourism has often been portrayed in negative terms: many
authors underline how the process of gentrification excludes migrants from the economic
and social benefits brought by tourism, while at the same time the reification of ethnic
differences represents their cultural heritage in an exotic and over-simplistic way.
Going beyond the interpretative level and embracing an applicative perspective, could
anthropologists play a significant role in making the encounter between tourists and
migrants within the cities less problematic? I will try to answer this question through
a critical analysis of the <emphasis role="italic">Migrantour project</emphasis>, a
European network of 16 cities since 2009 which has developed an innovative kind of
“intercultural urban walking tour” designed and led by first and second-generation
migrants. Therefore, responsible tourism is assumed as an ethical approach to envision a
collaborative way to valorize the contribution that generations of migrants have made to
the history of European cities. My research has been conducted by an engaged point of
view, because of my role as scientific coordinator of the project, together with an
interdisciplinary team which includes professionals of the tourism sector, members of
NGOs and other anthropologists.