Migration is an essential characteristic of humankind. And yet, one of the most ancient exercises of human freedom is presented as an issue. Why is that? Why does a person who quickly crosses a border encounter fear, judgment, or even persecution? This talk first contextualizes rapid migration within the sociopolitical parameters of nation-building in the twentieth century. Within a greater European and global context, it then focuses on select contemporary German artists and filmmakers whose projects offer a highly complex perspective on individuals officially identified as “refugees,” “asylum seekers,” and “illegals,” ultimately compelling us to move past viewing rapid migration as a divisive reality, and towards a new kinship system of concepts for engaging with cross-border movements.
