Exhibit on immigration, migration and movement opens Feb. 3

The opening reception for the Institute for Humanities Research’s art exhibition, “The Humanities and Immigration, Migration and Movement,” will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Feb. 3 at the Social Sciences Building, room 109, as well as in Wrigley Hall on ASU’s Tempe campus. This event, sponsored by the Institute, is free and open to the public. The exhibit will run from Feb. 3-April 20, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Today’s politically charged attention to immigration suggests that it is primarily a matter of protecting borders and controlling the entry of “aliens.”  Other aspects of the concept are typically ignored, including the fact that the history of the human race is in some sense a history of movement – of ideas, resources, goods, and political and economic activities, as well as of populations.  Indeed, it may be that migration and movement lie at the core of what it means to be human.

Taken together, (im)migration and movement underpin global debates about nationhood, citizenship, and belonging; values and social otherness; questions of social justice; individual, national, and cultural identities; and the ways in which people reinvent themselves, their cultures, and their worlds in new contexts. Many things are on the move along with, ahead of, or behind human beings—diseases, information, material objects, and beliefs. Movement often characterizes the dissemination of policies and aspects of governmental functioning. It is necessary for spreading information and evangelical religions. It is an element of cultures formed by waterways and roads.

Refreshments will be provided.

The Institute for Humanities Research in ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established in 2005. It has taken the lead in promoting excellence and innovation in humanities scholarship by contributing to scholarly research that addresses socially significant issues and engaging the community. More information is available at http://ihr.asu.edu or 480-965-3000.