Asylum Seekers In Italy Research Articles

Social Construction of the “Good Refugee” and the Resistances of Asylum Seekers in Italy between Marginalization and Autonomous Crossing of Urban Spaces

Recent research and studies have undermined the idea that borders are not only a demarcation between an inside and an outside, but a performative space around which unexpected interactions, power relations, economic value, conflicts and new spatialities are produced. Inside and around the structures organized for the reception of asylum seekers, we are witnessing a constantly evolving process of production of new social relations and new micro-spatialities that tend to progressively change the territorial features. This paper, based on observations and materials collected during a long ethnographic study carried out between Padua and Venice, investigates the controversial relations between asylum seekers and such urban spaces and suburbs, with attention given to migrants who relate to the territory just as a point of transit. We analyze the widespread phenomena of segregation these individuals, who have often left the reception system, are subjected to in their daily routine of using public space in certain urban areas. Moreover, through a perspective and a positioning that allowed us to live some protests and phenomena of resistance “from within”, we focus on the ways in which the streets and the squares of the provincial towns and urban centers have presented themselves as “borderscapes”.

“How much more time do you need?”: Anthropological-Legal Reflections on the Impact of Chronopolitics for Asylum Seekers in Italy: Alasan’s Story

“How much more time do you need?”: Anthropological-Legal Reflections on the Impact of Chronopolitics for Asylum Seekers in Italy: Alasan’s Story

Screening for Neglected Tropical Diseases and other infections in African refugees and asylum seekers in Rome and Lazio region, Italy

BackgroundFew reliable data are available on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and other infections among African refugees and asylum seekers in Italy.We aimed to estimate the prevalence of NTDs and other infections in a large cohort of African refugees and asylum seekers living in reception centers in Lazio, Italy. Material and methodsThis is an observational, prospective prevalence study on infectious diseases in a large population of African refugees and asylum seekers (936 overall) consecutively enrolled for screening purpose at the Infectious and Tropical diseases outpatient clinic of the National Institute of Migrant and Poverty (INMP), Rome from August 2019 to December 2020. ResultsWe found a prevalence of 8.8 % and 31 % for Strongyloides and schistosoma infection, respectively, while the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was 0.7 %, HCV antibodies2.5%, hepatitis B virus surface antigen 10.8 % and syphilis serological tests 2.9 %. ConclusionStrongyloidiasis and schistosomiasis are highly prevalent among African refugees and asylum seekers in Italy, in contrast to communicable diseases (with the exception of hepatitis B).Raising awareness of NTDs among health professionals and implementing guidelines seems to be of paramount importance to prevent these diseases and their sufferers from becoming even more “neglected”.

Reimagining learning provisions for asylum seekers in Italy: An exploration of asylum seekers’ experiences of recognition and misrecognition in adult learning centres

This article employs narrative methodologies to present the stories of three asylum seekers enrolled in two adult learning centres in the Lombardy region of Italy. The author draws on Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition to provide an understanding of how these adult learners’ experiences might impact their self-identity. Based on the narratives the participants provided in the course of interviews the author conducted with them, this article highlights some shortcomings in the learning provision for asylum seekers in Italy. Using interpretative analysis, the participants’ experiences are discussed under three categories: (1) valorisation of certificates; (2) appropriateness of teaching methods; and (3) recognition of prior learning. The author concludes that greater efforts should be put into recognising the asylum seekers’ previous experiences, and training adult educators who work with asylum seekers in adult learning principles.

Contextualising and storying the Italian hostile environment: Lina Prosa's civil theatre of re-humanisation

This essay investigates the construction of a hostile environment for refugees and asylum seekers in Italy in recent years. Rather than a consistent set of practices, the construction of the Italian hostile environment should be interpreted as a series of uneven responses to increasing migration from the Mediterranean South, and of unsystematic concrete procedures for migration control, developed according to diverse local contexts. These specific hostile environment constructions obfuscate dehumanising practices. In this context, however, forms of civic engagement offer important examples of resistance, which we aim at bringing to the foreground in the first part of this essay. The second part addresses imaginative and artistic responses to the Italian hostile environment by focusing on the stage. In particular, Sicilian playwright Lina Prosa's The Shipwreck Trilogy will be taken as case study. Representing immigration from the triple perspective of the sea voyage, the mountain limbo, and the existential “horizontal shipwreck” caused by negligent legislation, the Trilogy moves away from explicit humanitarianism or advocacy and consolidated patterns of the “right kind” of refugee story. It celebrates, instead, migrant agency and re-mythologises the figure of the migrant as a bearer of knowledges, aspirations, affects, memories, claims, relationalities, and better stories.

Stuck and Exploited. Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Italy Between Exclusion, Discrimination and Struggles. Edited by Francesco Della Puppa and Giuliana Sanò

Stuck and Exploited: refugees and asylum seekers in Italy often remain entrapped in the bureaucratic and juridic limbo of an inefficient and unjust ‘reception’ system, characterized by opacity and discretion. On the one hand, due to the state of this system, refugees and asylum seekers’ vulnerabilities and fragilities arise, together with exploitation of their labour. On the other hand, this structural situation opens the door to a cultural and media struggle: political and economic subjects use the term asylum seekers differently, manipulating it, exploiting the refugees’ conditions to feed their purposes. The book edited by Della Puppa and Sanò critically investigates the forms of exclusion and segregation of asylum seekers, as well as the disparities and discriminations they are subject to in their everyday lives in Italy. The volume presents numerous studies focused on what is referred to as a depersonalized system: The standardisation and depersonalisation of relationships, amplified by the intercultural character of the encounter, produces infantilisation and dependence. In so doing, it reproduces the welfarist logic of aid. Although this logic is demonised in official discourse, it tends to be reproduced – sometimes unconsciously – through everyday tools and practices in this sector. (Spada, p. 139)

Ferry quarantine: The pandemic as a pretext to deny healthcare access to undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Italy

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID‐19 forced national governments and health authorities worldwide to adopt measures aimed at protecting population health, most of which resulted in prolonged restrictions to individual freedom(s) and fundamental rights. In some cases, the pandemic represented a pretext for macroscopic and unjustified human rights violations, as in the case of the “ferry quarantine,” that is the use of commercial boats by the Italian Government to forcibly isolate migrants and asylum seekers from the rest of the population. Such a measure does not have any rationale at the epidemiological level and poses serious obstacles to the provision of adequate care to vulnerable people such as migrants and asylum seekers. The pandemic has been used as a pretext to implement discriminatory and disproportionate measures whose effect has been denying healthcare access to undocumented migrants and asylum seekers.

Disability, Rehabilitation, and Assistive Technologies for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Italy: Policies and Challenges

Good health and well-being for all, including those with disabilities, is one of the main sustainable development goals. Data on refugees and asylum seekers with disabilities are limited. Refugees have poor access to rehabilitation and assistive technologies, although laws and policies in Italy guarantee this type of healthcare. However, there are several limitations to the successful implementation of these services. First, the national health system is regionally based, and therefore healthcare facilities and services vary in terms of quality in different regions. A link between reception centers and the healthcare system is therefore highly recommended, because only 10 out of 20 regions have specific services for refugees and asylum seekers with disabilities. Second, only 2% of the total available posts for hosting refugees are reserved for people with disabilities. The lack of a standardized vulnerability assessment represents the main barrier to the organization of specific services for migrants within the community. National stakeholders urgently need to collaborate in order to remove barriers to rehabilitation and assistive technology for refugees with disabilities. Initiatives should focus on health literacy and the empowerment of migrants, data collection on health, disability, and assistive technology, and the organization of community-based rehabilitation programs.

Della Puppa, Francesco and Sano, Giuliana (eds). 2021. Stuck and Exploited: Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Italy Between Exclusion, Discrimination and Struggles. Edizioni Ca'Foscari: Venezia. pp. 364.

International MigrationVolume 61, Issue 1 p. 321-323 BOOK REVIEW Francesco Della Puppa and Giuliana Sano (eds). 2021. Stuck and Exploited: Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Italy Between Exclusion, Discrimination and Struggles. Edizioni Ca'Foscari: Venezia. pp. 364. Angela Maria Toffanin, Corresponding Author Angela Maria Toffanin [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-3224-2173 University of Padova – Fisppa Department, via Cesarotti 10/12, Padova, 35123 ItalySearch for more papers by this author Angela Maria Toffanin, Corresponding Author Angela Maria Toffanin [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-3224-2173 University of Padova – Fisppa Department, via Cesarotti 10/12, Padova, 35123 ItalySearch for more papers by this author First published: 20 February 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13059Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume61, Issue1February 2023Pages 321-323 RelatedInformation

Musical resilience strategies for African asylum seekers in Italy: the cultural mediator Bawa Salifu

ABSTRACT This article examines music’s contribution to the wellbeing, identity affirmation, and cultural integration of African asylum seekers in Italy, in a context where the Italian majority is often hostile to migrants and denies multiculturalism. As part of a broader long-term action-based project dedicated to improving intercultural understandings, this case study focuses on the life story and initiatives of a single musician: Bawa Salifu. It follows Salifu from his status as an irregular migrant, who travelled to Italy from Ghana, to his role as a cultural mediator for asylum seekers in Italy and as the founder in 2015 of the musical project Oghene Damba: Cremona Boys Musical Theater. The sensitivities surrounding getting to know Salifu well enough to discuss his personal experiences are highlighted; this was only possible after documenting Oghene Damba performances for four years. Other ethnographic interaction strategies are also discussed, including jointly watching and commenting on Oghene Damba recordings and YouTube videos. Despite the limitations imposed on asylum seekers, Salifu’s various musical initiatives and collaborations reveal the potential of music to give meaning to their disorientated lives and to make steps towards acceptance into Italian society.

Discourses of social workers on their practices in the field for asylum seekers in Italy

The arrival of migrants has been a major challenge for Italian society; however, a uniform reception system has yet to be created in the country. Based on interviews conducted in one of the best local reception systems (located in Trentino, in Northern Italy), we analyze two central themes raised in the discourses of this community of practice that bring out the more or less recognized role of “moral entrepreneur” at street level.

Discours des moniteurs sociaux sur leurs pratiques de terrain auprès des demandeurs d’asile en Italie

L’arrivée des migrants a représenté un gros défi pour la société italienne, qui n’a pourtant pas créé un système d’accueil homogène sur le territoire national. À partir d’entretiens réalisés dans l’un des meilleurs systèmes d’accueil local (dans le Trentin, au nord de l’Italie), nous proposons d’analyser deux thématiques centrales des discours de cette communauté de pratiques, qui font émerger le rôle plus ou moins reconnu de l’« entrepreneur moral » au niveau du guichet.

Impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on mental health and future orientation among young adult asylum seekers in Italy: A mixed-methods study.

The COVID-19 outbreak caused a worldwide health emergency which disproportionately affected migrants and ethnic minorities. Yet, little is known about the psychosocial effects of the pandemic among refugees and asylum seekers. This study used a convergent parallel mixed-method design to explore knowledge and opinions concerning COVID-19 and the impact of lockdown on perceived mental health and future orientation among 42 young adult asylum seekers residing in northeastern Italy. Participants took part in individual interviews comprising both qualitative and quantitative questions. Qualitative reports were analyzed using thematic content analysis, whereas descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests were computed on quantitative data. Results indicated that most participants were correctly informed about the nature, origin, and spread of COVID-19, expressed moderate or high satisfaction concerning the clarity of communication about safety measures, and followed them most of the time. Worries about family in the home country, loneliness, fear for own and loved ones’ health, and concerns about delays in the asylum application were the most frequently mentioned stressful events. Psychological and physical distress significantly increased, and positive future orientation significantly decreased during the lockdown. However, participants also emphasized the usefulness of instrumental support from social workers and exhibited a resilient attitude characterized by the acceptance of uncertainty, sense of connectedness, and positive outlook. Overall, findings suggest that the current emergency may exacerbate psychological vulnerabilities of asylum seekers due to continued existential uncertainty. Thus, individual and contextual assets should be strengthened to promote psychosocial adjustment and coping resources in the context of the pandemic.

Hosting to skim: organized crime and the reception of asylum seekers in Italy

ABSTRACT The paper investigates the link between organized crime and Italy’s publicly funded asylum seekers’ reception facilities. We gather detailed municipal-level data on the location of mafia activities and Protection System for Asylum Seekers and Refugees (SPRAR)-type reception centres, and provide evidence of how the local presence of mafia increases the likelihood of hosting reception facilities. Statistical evidence and in-depth expert interviews suggest that organized crime correlates with less transparent tendering procedures in the set-up of such centres, while hosting activities increase after local governments are infiltrated by mafias. Overall, results underscore the importance of measures aimed at contrasting organized crime, especially at times of ‘crises’ when public policy is subject to ‘states of exception’.

Paradoxical migrant allyship: the adoption of a disciplinary model of ‘compulsory integration’ for asylum seekers in Italy

ABSTRACT Recent scholarship has focused extensively on the deployment of technologies of security as a tactic of migration governance. The analyses have largely been on the effect of prioritising state security over migrant rights and the subsequent impact on their well-being. In our analysis of a migrant accommodation centre called the L’Accademia d’Integrazione (Bergamo, Italy) we contribute to this literature through a multi-scalar analysis of the place-specific rationales justifying the use of these technologies. There, migrants are required to wear jumpsuits reading ‘Thank you Bergamo,’ and subject to behavioural regulation, restricted mobility, and omnipresent surveillance. We observe how this new model of migration governance based around compulsory training and discipline emerged as an attempt to gain political control over the dominant discourse around the perceived migrant threat. Racialised preconceptions of African migrants, their presumed lack of cultural compatibility and a perceived unwillingness to participate in existing integration programs permeated the media and political rhetoric, challenging state sovereignty and perceived control. We see how this approach designed to foster ‘palatability’ contributed to their further differentiation, subjugation, and marginalisation. We question the conceptualisation of integration within the program arguing that rather than produce parity it commits structural violence in form and practice.

The Refugee Experience of Asylum Seekers in Italy: A Qualitative Study on the Intertwining of Protective and Risk Factors

This study aims to investigate the criticisms and support factors of the migratory experience of a group of asylum seekers (ASs) hosted in an Italian reception center. Starting from a psychosocial approach that gives importance to the intertwining of the personal history and context, the present study aims to explore the meaning that ASs give to their origins, the relationship of ASs with the host context and with professionals of the refugee centres, along with the representation of the Future. We conducted 27 semi-structured deep interviews with 9 male ASs with an average age of 24,4 years. In line with the research goals, we carried out an analysis of pencil-and-paper content using the interpretative-phenomenological-analysis. Three different types of refugee experience emerged: persecutory, ambivalent and integrated. The three conditions identified can help professionals to better understand the different experiences of ASs, allowing them to develop more effective interventions.

Italian Reception Policies and Pandemic: From Exclusion to Abandonment

The article analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the management of reception centers for refugees and asylum seekers in Italy. By analyzing the transformation of Italian reception policies in the last years, the article shows the relationship between these changes and the condition of refugees and asylum seekers in these centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overcrowded housing, the absence of institutional guidance on managing the situation, and the interruption of many migrants’ migratory projects are the main findings that emerged. The article is based on digital ethnographic techniques, in addition to phone interviews with key speakers of the social contexts monitored online.

Beyond Compassionate Aid: Precarious Bureaucrats and Dutiful Asylum Seekers in Italy

In this article, I track shifting paradigms of refugee management in Italy in times of austerity and welfare state restructuring. Drawing on an ethnographic analysis of asylum-related bureaucratic work in Bologna, the essay explores paradoxical and violent effects of welfare decline both on reception workers’ labor conditions and on the dynamic of aid that they end up providing to asylum seekers. On the one hand, recent developments in asylum management in Italy suggest a transition to post-compassionate forms of aid, hinged more on the making of dutiful subjects ready to repay the “hospitality” offered by the state than on the moral imperative to rescue suffering bodies and lives. On the other hand, reception workers’ precarious positioning and unrest hold the potential for exposing the inherent contradictions of state-based narratives, thereby shaping alternative discourses on the causes and responsibilities of both refugee and economic “crises.”
 Abstract
 
 Questo articolo ricostruisce l’emergere di nuovi paradigmi di gestione dei rifugiati in Italia, in tempi di austerità e ristrutturazione dei sistemi di welfare. Prendendo spunto dall’analisi etnografica di un ufficio di supporto per l’asilo a Bologna, l’articolo esplora effetti violenti e paradossali dello smantellamento del welfare pubblico, sia sulle condizioni di lavoro degli operatori dell’accoglienza, che sulle dinamiche di aiuto a richiedenti asilo che essi finiscono col contribuire a produrre. Le recenti trasformazioni nella gestione dell’asilo in Italia suggeriscono uno slittamento verso forme di aiuto post-compassionevoli, incentrate più sulla costruzione di soggetti attivamente impegnati nel ricompensare “l’ospitalità” offerta dallo stato, che sull’imperativo morale di salvare corpi e vite sofferenti. Al tempo stesso, la precarietà e il dissenso dei lavoratori dell’accoglienza sono potenzialmente in grado di illuminare alcune delle contraddizioni intrinseche alle narrazioni statali, elaborando così discorsi alternativi sulle cause e responsabilità della “crisi”, sia migratoria che economica.

Covid-19 and labour migration: Investigating vulnerability in Italy and in the UK

This article provides preliminary analyses on how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting the labour market positions of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Italy and in Great Britain. Our research interest stems from the findings of the EU funded SIRIUS project (Skills and integration of migrants, refugees and asylum applicants in European labour markets) as well as from literature which highlight that migrants' roles in the European labour markets are characterised by a high level of vulnerability. Such a vulnerable situation depends, on the one hand, from the juridical-legal status that migrants receive when entering the new country of settlement, a status which may limit their rights and their access to regular employment and to services conducive to decent employment such as vocational training or language learning. On the other hand, migrants' vulnerability depends also on they being over-represented in those jobs which have been qualified as ‘front-line', and therefore more exposed to risks of contagion during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as workers in the care, or parcel distribution sectors. Hence, this paper discusses the effect of the intertwinement of the pandemic with a status of double-vulnerability on migrants' life.

The Volunteer Asylum Seeker: a New Figure of the “Deserving Migrant”?

Based on an analysis of volunteer programmes for asylum seekers in Italy, this article examines the emergence of a new figure of the “deserving migrant”: the migrant volunteer worker, who is grateful and active, and willing to perform unpaid activities in the public interest. In the Italian context, participation in volunteer programmes is seen as proof of the merit required of some foreign populations, especially those subject to asylum policies and incorporated into the system of accommodation centres, who thus have to show not only vulnerability, but also integration and civic commitment. However, there are gaps and room for manoeuvre between the display of integration and civic value conveyed by volunteer programmes and the actual practices of volunteer asylum seekers. The study of the tactics used to reappropriate, distance and circumvent unpaid activities reveals that the emergence of this figure of the deserving migrant, while creating competition and distinction between asylum seekers, is not immune to criticism and challenge of varying degrees of visibility.