“Begin from the bottom and move up” : Social Mobility of Immigrant Labour in Rural Greece

Abstract

Immigrant geography is a highly significant research topic in modern Greece and Southern Europe. The emphasis is often placed on urban areas where there is a large concentration of immigrants, while less research is carried out in rural areas. The existing heterogeneity of rural areas and the diversity of host rural societies caused by immigrant populations, call for in-depth empirical research of the migratory phenomenon in rural areas. The paper is divided into four main sections. Firstly, it will argue that the future of European agriculture and the welfare of rural areas depend increasingly on the continuation of migratory flows. Secondly, there will be a brief discussion of immigration in rural Greece that provides the context for placing the analysis of empirical data. Thirdly, research findings from a number of paradigmatic regions in rural Greece will be reviewed, and finally, the paper will conclude that the immigrants’ adaptive capacity in the local labour markets and their work flexibility has increased their opportunities for integration into local host societies.