From social integration to social emplacement: perspectives from Italian rural areas

ABSTRACT

This contribution presents the results of a qualitative research conducted on migrant settlement in rural Italy. It proposes moving beyond the concept of social integration to explore the potential of social emplacement of asylum seekers and refugees in non-urban areas. From this point of view, the results will be presented in the light of four analytical categories. The first is that of the influences of the specificities of Italian rural contexts on social emplacement processes. The second concerns the important issue of choice concerning migration paths in relation to non-urban areas. The third investigates the creation of social capital and the potentialities and limits observed in rural contexts. Finally, the contribution looks at the possibilities of access to services and forms of housing.

KEYWORDS:

• Social emplacement
• social integration
• migrant settlement
• rural areas
• refugees

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The European Rural Vision 2040 is a long-term vision for the EU’s non-urban areas up to 2040 that identifies areas of action towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural communities: https://rural-vision.europa.eu/index_en, last accessed on 05/01/2022.

2 https://whole-comm.eu/, last accessed on 02/01/2023.

3 https://matilde-migration.eu/, last accessed on 02/01/2023.

4 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Ageing_Europe_-_statistics_on_population_developments#Older_people_.E2.80.94_population_overview, last accessed on 06/01/2023.

5 The Italian reception system is divided into first (extraordinary) and second (ordinary) reception. The first reception centers, called ‘Centri di Accoglienza Straordinaria’ [Extraordinary reception centers] (CAS), are placed under the responsibility of prefectures. The centres of the second level of reception (Systems of Reception and Integration – SAI) can be activated voluntarily by local authorities and in collaboration with the third sector to implement integrated reception projects. They refer to two levels of reception: the first level, accessed by asylum seekers, provides for material reception services, health, social and psychological assistance, linguistic-cultural mediation; the second level, accessed by holders of international protection, also includes job orientation and vocational training.

6 https://www.welcomingspaces.eu/, last accessed on 06/09/2023.

7 Bonding social capital refers to relations within a group or community that share similar characteristics (social class, age, gender, religion, etc.) whereas bridging social capital is between social groups and individuals with different characteristics.

8 A ‘sanatoria’ is the legitimisation by the Italian authorities of an irregular state of affairs or an abnormal situation. On the subject of immigration, Italy regularly promotes these ‘amnesties’, which aim to regularise the irregular status of foreign workers and their employers. However, they have the effect of proposing partial answers to a problem that should be solved from a structural point of view, namely the difficulty of arriving in Italy with a regular work permit.

9 https://www.k-pax.eu/, last accessed on 16/01/2023.

10 https://www.miledu.org, last accessed on 16/01/2023.

11 http://www.risehub.org/, last accessed on 16/01/2023.

12 https://eurocoopcamini.com/, last accessed on 16/01/2023.

13 https://www.facebook.com/CscNuvolaRossa/, last accessed on 16/01/2023.

14 https://consorziosaledellaterra.it/ilex/, last accessed on 16/01/2023.

15 For further information, read, for example: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/16/lampedusa-migrants-italian-ski-resort, last accessed on 07/01/2023.

16 CPIA – Centro Provinciale per l’Istruzione degli Adulti (Provincial Centre for Adult Education).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Horizon2020, under grant agreement n. 870952.

Notes on contributors

Melissa Moralli

Melissa Moralli is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology and Business Law, University of Bologna. She was a visiting scholar at CRISES (Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales, Université du Québec à Montréal), IPK (Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University), CRISES Redifined (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and MESOPOLHIS (Aix-Marseille University, Sciences Po Aix and CNRS). She was the main researcher in the project ‘Atlas of Transitions. New Geographies for a Cross-Cultural Europe’ and ‘Welcoming Spaces. Revitalising Shrinking Areas by Hosting Non-Eu Migrants’. She is the scientific coordinator of the international project ‘Collaborative imaginaries on territories in change across Europe’: She is the author of many books, chapters and articles on migration, artistic production, social innovation and creative methods.

Pierluigi Musarò

Pierluigi Musarò is a Full Professor of Sociology, Culture and Communication at the Department of Sociology and Business Law, University of Bologna, Italy. He is an Honorary Professor at Melbourne University, and Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, at the Institute for Public Knowledge-New York University (U.S.A.), and at Monash University (Australia). He is the author of several books and papers in the field of media and migration, borders and human rights, performing arts and active citizenship. He is President of the Italian NGO YODA, founding Director of IT.A.CÀ_migrants and travellers: Festival of Responsible Tourism and founding member of the Italian Network against Hate Speech.

Paola Parmiggiani

Paola Parmiggiani is a Full Professor in the Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes. She is a member of the Ces.Co.Com. the Study Center on Communication and Sustainable Consumption at the University of Bologna. Her main research interests are the practices of consumption and cultural studies with particular reference to the practices for responsible consumption, processes of civic engagement, social and humanitarian communication. About these themes, she has carried out several scientific research, conferences and seminars (national and international), and she has published articles in volumes and scientific journals.