The new Italian emigration between necessity and choice: “Cordless workers” in Athens

Abstract

Statistics show that the new Italian emigration presents a plurality of directions: alongside the resumption of flows in the direction of the more traditional destinations, there are now migratory currents in the most diverse directions, including areas that are weak or lagging behind Italy. This novelty opens new interesting questions for the sociology of migration. This contribution highlights the necessity to face the study of “mobility” through interpretative approaches capable of grasping the pluralistic material and immaterial “spaces” designed by the new migratory trajectories. Therefore, we explore the South-South direction, which has remained at the margins of research and debate, trying to add a new piece to the increasingly complex picture of the Italian presence abroad. In the first part of the paper we will focus on some theoretical and demographic aspects considered relevant for the study of the new Italian emigration, with the aim of bringing out the complexity of the phenomenon. In the second part, after a brief methodological note, the results of a qualitative research carried out on the new Italian emigration to Athens will be presented in order to grasp its specific aspects.