In the late 1970s, Italy switched from being a source of émigrés to becoming a recipient of immigrants. The city of Milan and its surrounding region led the way. A multitude of migrant associations sprang up as migrants pursued their quest for recognition as subjects and citizens. This study draws on the author's interviews with members of Milan's migrant associations to examine the inner dynamics both between migrants within associations, and between migrant members and those volunteers, both Italian and of other nationalities, who work with the associations. This study shows that the forms of solidarity and engagement offered by Italian activists represent a platform where the process of identity construction occurs and (mis)recognition practices are played out. As the article will point out, migrants are sometimes quite critical of the activities of Italian activists. In short, the study suggests that the consideration of two dimensions – identity and recognition – as they arise within everyday social practices, could make a useful contribution to the further study of the social phenomena of migrants' associations and political participation.
The paper provides the conceptual and analytical background for the thematic Working Package number 4 "Youth cultures: values, representations and social conditions". It shows the relevance of the cultural dimension in the study of youth condition, in order to understand young people's actions and to recognise youth agency. Nowadays, the transition to adulthood takes place in the context of growing uncertainty and deep social, cultural and political transformations also in contemporary Arab Mediterranean societies.The first part of the paper defines the conceptual framework for the study of youth agency and cultures. After reconstructing the development of the reflexion on youth and youth cultures by sociology and social science from the 1920s to the 2000s, it focuses on the main topics, trends and gaps of contemporary studies on youth cultures in Western contexts and in Arab Mediterranean countries. The second part of the paper outlines the research questions and analytical dimension that will guide the research in WP4. The main questions can be summarised as follows:How the cultural construction of youth is changing in Arab Mediterranean countries? To what extent does youth appear as a condition marked by specific cultural expressions and subjectivities, rather than a mere transitional stage of life? How do the changes in the transition to adulthood impact on the emergence of new cultural trends among Arab youths? Which are the strategies that young men and women deploy for constructing their identity, shaping their biographical projects and giving meaning to their social world, in the changing contexts of Arab Mediterranean countries?
The article explores the relationship between time-space experience and creativity, focusing on the everyday practices and strategies used by young people to tackle the contemporary processes of acceleration and compression of urban times and spaces. The dimensions of time and space are proposed in an explorative way, in order to investigate the fertility of the concept of creativity in sociological debate. The proposal is based on qualitative research conducted in Milan on young cosmopolitans (PhD students, artists and designers) who were temporarily living in the city to further their studies.
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