Immigration and Diversity, A Critical Reflection

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Immigration and Diversity, A Critical Reflection
The term migration has been featured in a better part of the world’s history due to the mass migration of people from one place to another from the past and even in the contemporary era. The film Persepolis, played in a rather satirical and comic manner, exposes the various aspects surrounding the broad concept of migration. Sara Ahmed, in her article “Home and Away: Narratives of migration and estrangement,” takes a critical evaluation of the concepts of migration from a perspective of one leaving their homeland and facing hostility in a foreign land. The film and the article are a snapshot representation of the life of migrants, taking into consideration the various causes for migration, the estrangement that the migrants are bound to face, and the massive distraction to one’s identity as a result of moving from one place to the other.
Persepolis features an Iranian girl born and raised at a period when her country was facing political and religious turmoil. Marjane Satrapi, the main character in the animated film, came from a family of rebels who fell into the hands of the authorities quite often (Paronnaud and Satrapi). Satrapi's uncle who is depicted in the film as a vibrant social activist was forced into hiding and even sent to jail by the oppressive and conservative Islamic regime. The film paints a picture of a war-toned Iran, overrun by tyrants that proved unfavorable in raising such ambitious kids with a taste of modernity like Satrapi. Satrapi was fortunate to flee Iran as she went to Austria in search of education and to have a taste of civilization. The film brings forth the major cause of migration, where migrants often flee their home countries in search of better education and to escape the unbearable political, social, and economic situations in their homeland. To her disbelief, Satrapi's experience abroad fell short of her expectation and ambition and as a result, she later decided to go back to her original homeland where the culture had taught her to have the utmost respect for sexuality that seemed not to be a nonissue in the western culture. Culture shock, hostility, and even loneliness are the most common experiences that face immigrant and have been articulated well in the film.
Home and Away: Narratives of migration and estrangement (Ahmed) explores the controversial concept of migration from a viewpoint that features diverse definitions of the term home. The term migration goes beyond the practical displacement from the mo...