Introduction: Migritude from a Comparative Perspective

The first of its kind, this special focus section examines a relatively understudied concept and brings together new literary works and scholarship across continents and languages. Contemporary authors and activists like Fatou Diome, Shailja Patel, Abdourahman Waberi, and Igiaba Scego contribute to a new literary, cultural, and political genre called migritude. Migritude initially indicated a group of younger African authors in Paris but has since expanded to include Europe beyond France, such as Britain and Italy, as well as South Asian and Caribbean diasporas. This body of work reveals intersections between complex histories of colonialism, immigration, globalization, and racism against migrants and highlights differences in region, class, gender, and sexuality that constrain the movement of many people. In an era characterized by openly belligerent nationalism and anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, this special focus section aims to unpack migritude cultural production in an international context to study and combat these violent trends.