Migraciones internacionales 22.indd RESEÑA BIBLIOGRÁFICA [287] As historical scholarship demon- strates, over the longue durée of civilizations, migration has been the rule, rather than the exception in global human history. In South America, while Ecuadorian men and women have been no stran- gers to internal migration, they have only actively participated in international migration since the 1970s. Much like other Latin American countries—El Salva- dor, the Dominican Republic and Mexico—Ecuador is now a major exporter of labour and importer of remittances.1 The study of Ecua- dor as a nation of immigrants and emigrants is astutely brought to light in Chiara Pagnotta’s well- written Italian monograph, At- traversando lo stagno: Storie della migrazione ecuadoriana in Eur- opa tra continuità e cambiamento (1997-2007). Pagnotta, a histor- ian from the University of Genoa has spent several years crossing the Atlantic Ocean to collect life stor- ies of migrants and non-migrants through fieldwork conducted in three countries across two contin- ents. The analysis takes the reader from several cities of departure in Ecuador, specifically in the prov- inces of Loja, Guayas and Pichin- cha (including Ecuador’s capital, Quito) to the European cities of Genoa and Madrid, two cosmo- politan cities that have witnessed Attraversando lo stagno: Storie della migrazione ecuadoriana in Europa tra continuità e cambiamento (1997-2007) Chiara Pagnotta, 2010, Rome, Centro d’Informazione e Stampa Universitaria (CISU). Sonia CANCIAN Concordia University/Université de Montréal 1 Chiara Pagnotta, 2010, Attra ver- san do lo stagno: Storie della migrazione ecua doriana in Europa tra continuità e cambiamento (1997-2007), p. 28. Cited in Brad Jokisch, 2001, “Desde Nueva York a Madrid: Tendencias en la emigra- ción ecuatoriana”, Ecuador Debate, num. 54, december, pp. 59-84. Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 287Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 287 05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m.05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m. MIGRACIONES INTERNACIONALES, VOL. 6, NÚM. 3, ENERO-JUNIO DE 2012288 the arrival of large concentrations of migrants. A theoretical framework, a well- documented historical context of Ecuador in the latter part of the twentieth century, and a variety of oral history accounts infuse the study. This gender-based analy- sis is viewed through the lens of intersectionality, in other words, from the perspective of power re- lations exercised in ethnicity, gen- der, class, sexuality and age (p. 22). The nearly forty life stories of Ecuadorian families interviewed by Pagnotta focus on the trans- national lives of women—single women, married women, divorced women, women in common-law relationships, mothers, sisters, daughters, and grand mothers. By unders cor ing women’s experienc- es, Pag notta demonstrates that the feminization of migration is not a new phenomenon. For decades, Ecuadorian women have joined the throngs of women who have migrated globally from South to North, and others who migrated within the Southern hemisphere (p. 12). As the author notes, mi- gration is intrinsically related to power relations exercised in Ec- uadorian families and the nation’s gender-based hierarchical struc- tures. Feminist scholarship has long argued that gender dispar- ities are recreated and perpetuated in the family. This study demon- strates that families continue to be at the root of gender inequities. The monograph examines the intersections of gender, class, and ethnicity in sending and receiving communities. It identifies the ways these factors have contribut ed to migrants’ decision over their des- tination. It discusses whether these dynamics gave rise to a diversity of migrant networks or to paral- lel spatial and social trajectories among migrants and non-migrants (p. 14). Further, Attra ver sando lo Stagno—meaning “crossing the pond” (in other words, the At- lantic Ocean), brings to light the connections, worldviews, social representations and moral values that col lectively under pin Ecua- dorian transnational societies. In so doing, it underscores the links that emerge in reality and in dis- course (p. 14). Briefly, Chapter One traces the history of Ecuadorian migration, the project’s research methodol- ogy, the fieldwork and life stor- ies, and the transnational analysis conducted in Ecuador, Spain and Italy from an intersectional per- spective (p. 22). Here, Pagnotta discusses the correlations between sending and receiving commun- ities, and underscores the mi- Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 288Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 288 05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m.05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m. RESEÑA BIBLIOGR ÁFICA 289 grants’ experiences and the spaces they occupied, their interactions with the environment, and the views migrants held of themselves and the world. The analysis deft- ly illustrates ways in which the circulation of goods, money, ideas and lifestyles are vectors for social and economic change in locations of departure and arrival. The second chapter addresses the so- cial and cultural practices of mi- grants who experienced a duality in identity and belongingness. It also analyzes ways in which mi- gration has impacted the lives of migrants and non-migrants. Pag- notta describes the dynamics that developed internally in the circu- lation of family migration and the economic ties—namely through remittances—that developed be- tween the places of origin and arrival (p. 74). The third chapter examines national identities in the Ecuadorian diaspora of fe male migrants who were frequently the first members in their fam- ilies to leave for Europe. Next, the author examines how ethnic, national and local identities have been transformed in sending com- munities (p. 140). What emerges is a heterogeneous Ecuadorian identity within a global world. In the fourth and last chapter of the book, Pagnotta explores the myriad of ways in which Ecua- dor has changed as a result of migration (with three million Ec ua dor ians living abroad). She examines who these migrants were, whether they shared an identical social environment, and what their reasons for migrating were. Through three case studies, she describes the life trajectories of migrants, and the tensions that emerged between their places of origin and arrival from a gender perspective (p. 182). In short, by examining how Ecuadorian women and men have been impacted by migration— with the inclusion of insightful excerpts of life stories, this excel- lent monograph squarely situates Ecuador and its peoples as part of a global world on the move. Overall, Attraversando lo Stag- no by Chiara Pagnotta is well worth the attention of students and scholars in history, migration studies, and related fields in the humanities and social sciences. Its contribution to scholarship is unquestionable. English—and Spanish—language readers will certainly benefit from this study. A translation of the book is highly recommended. Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 289Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 289 05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m.05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m. Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 290Migraciones internacionales 22.indd 290 05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m.05/12/2011 10:54:31 a.m.