Nations reversed. national imaginaries, images of migration in greece and mexico
As migratory movements surge around the world, Greece and Mexico, two countries located at the doorstep of Europe and the United States, face the challenges of demographic changes. Among the many effects of migration on these nations, the presence of the migrant ‘other’ poses an interesting question: can the visual presence of otherness become a looking glass to redefines national ethos? STREAM anthropologically explores this conundrum by looking at different types of images, formal and informal, photographic, artistic, religious, animated and more – connected to migration, and to the figure of the migrant in both places. The comparison between these two nations is informed by their position as buffer zones on central migration routes and a similar geopolitical position, which is emblematic of the unequal political dynamics that separate the Global North from the Global South. Making a comparative analysis of these two countries through the examples of two regions, Crete and Oaxaca, which are at the forefront of migration flows, and are characterized by their relative independence from central governments as well as their status of internal ""other"", this study unlocks a sideway window into national imaginings. To do so, this research asks the following research questions:  (1) Which kind of national imaginaries emerge when looking at images of migration? (2) What do these images reveal about local perceptions of national representation? (3) To what extent does this dialectical relation between nation and migration, seen through visual media, illuminate wider political international dynamics? Ultimately, STREAM’s objective is to generate innovative comparative research to enhance our understanding of the socio-political impact of images in reshaping national imaginings.

