The affective and effective work of ‘mediazione linguistico-culturale’: a case from Italy to Brazil, with love

Abstract

I propose a discussion about the professional figure of “linguistic and cultural mediation” (Archibald & Garzone, 2014) which was regulated in Italy in 1998 as well as in other European countries to "promote more integration between public services and migrants" (Quassoli & Colombo, 2012). For this discussion I bring reflections from an interview with an Italo Brazilian mediator, cis woman, that works with anti-trafficking and anti-violence programs in the north of Italy, and also my own experience working with trans migrant sex workers (mostly from Brazil). The affective discussion comes also from my inside perspective as both a Brazilian and Italian citizen, and from my social work in an Italian NGO as well as a Social Anthropology researcher. Positioning myself is fundamental for the decolonial, transfeminist and intersectional approach (Brah, 2006; Brah & Phoenix, 2004; Lugones, 2014 E 2018; Viveros, 2016; Vergueiro, 2016; Favero, 2021) of this presentation and is also part of the analysis and discussion. I argue for the importance of affects in order to research and approach the multiplicity of motivations for migrant sex workers (Juliano, 2002; Agustín, 2005), which materialize different governances and policies (Garofalo & Marchetti, 2019) that can imply difficulties and criminalization for cis and trans women on the move in the sex markets (Abbatecola, 2018).