The Role of Women of Afghan Diaspora in the Green Turn of Art in Italy: Social Practices and Artistic Interventions for Sustainable Development

This thesis, titled: “The Role of Afghan Migrant Women in the Green Turn of Art in Italy: Social Methods and Interventions for Development,” examines the role of Afghan migrant women in redefining their multilayered and resistant identities through three artistic domains: theater, cinema, and fashion in the context of the Italian diaspora. By focusing on key projects such as the Herat School in Exile (theater), the documentaries Dreamer and Refugee Girls (cinema), and La Vie En Blue (fashion), the research demonstrates how these women have used art as a tool for resistance against hegemonic and stereotypical representations, meaning making, and advancing environmental sustainability. The chapters of the research focus on three central themes: art as a platform for creating meaning, agency as a political-cultural action, and diaspora as a hybrid space for identity negotiation. In the theater chapter, the Herat School in Exile project is analyzed as an artistic-social initiative following the political developments of 2021, which presents anti- hegemonic narratives. Drawing on the theories of Judith Butler (gender performativity), Michel Foucault (subjectification), Stuart Hall (representation), Homi Bhabha (third space), and Augusto Boal (theater of the oppressed), it is examined how the performances negotiate power boundaries and create resistant identities. The ecological dimension of the performances, such as the connection with nature and the recreation of place, aligns with the ecofeminist views of Vandana Shiva. The cinema chapter compares two documentaries: Dreamer (directed by Alessandro Galassi) and Refugee Girls (directed by Leonardo Lombroso). Using frameworks of participatory cinema (Bill Nichols), intersectionality (Patricia Hill Collins), male gaze (Laura Mulvey), and postcolonial approaches (Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, Homi Bhabha), the analysis shows that Dreamer, with the active participation of subjects, presents a more authentic and decolonizing narrative, while Refugee Girls often falls into the trap of victim/hero stereotypes and limits the voice of the subaltern. In the fashion chapter, the La Vie En Blue project (initiated in 2024) is examined with a historical analysis of clothing in Afghanistan. From the perspective of Roland Barthes’ semiotics and Hall’s representation, clothes function as a sign system for resistance against colonial and patriarchal stereotypes. This project, with sustainable materials and green techniques, links oppression against women and nature. The conclusion integrates the findings and highlights the role of Afghan migrant women in the green turn of art in Italy. This research, with combined methods of visual archiving, field documentation, interviews, and critical analysis, demonstrates the capacity of art for transforming dominant narratives, reconstructing identity in exile, and advancing cultural-environmental sustainability. The findings suggest that the artistic interventions of migrant women not only strengthen cultural resistance but also contribute to social and ecological development in host societies.