Contemporary political and media discourses observe and frequently also support the development of nationalist, eurosceptic and xenophobic reactions to this migration. Confronting this trend, European cinema has developed and disseminated new transcultural and postcolonial alternatives that might help to improve integration and community cohesion in Europe, and this book investigates these alternatives in order to identify examples of good practices that can enhance European stability.

Guido Rings is Professor of Postcolonial Studies, director of the Research Unit for Intercultural and Transcultural Studies (RUITS), and co-editor of German as a Foreign Language (www.gfl-journal.com) and iMex (http: //www.imex-revista.com). He is author of 50 refereed articles, 7 volumes/special issues and 5 authored books, including La Conquista desbaratada (Iberoamericana 2010).

Introduction 1. Otherness in Contemporary European Cinema 2. Potential and Limits of a New European in Nicolas Echevarría's Cabeza de Vaca 3. Migrants in Europe: Breaking the Boundaries? 4 . Inspiration from Abroad? Cultural Boundaries in Chicano Cinema Conclusion