The social and spatial mobility strategies of migrants

2021

Front. Sociol.

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The paper aims to exemplify and discuss the changing conditions and challenges posed by the newly arriving populations of migrants and refugees in rural Greece, along with local people’s views on the impact of the new arrivals in their rural places. Its main objective is to understand whether migrants and refugees create threats or opportunities for the local population, and whether movers and non-movers have a shared understanding of well-being in their rural areas. The analysis unveils the connections that are emerging between migrants and refugees and the economy, society and culture in rural receiving areas. Thus, the paper aims at showing the complexity of rural migrant flows and how the interactions between migrants, refugees and locals in the light of the well-being of rural areas may inform rural development in Greece. The paper is structured into five main sections following the introduction. The first section contains a discussion of the main concepts used as building blocks for creating a theoretical framing of well-being in rural areas. The second section develops a brief discussion of international and internal migration to rural areas in Greece, as well as providing some contextual information on the impact of the economic crisis and new developments in response to the recession. The third section includes a short presentation of the methodological approach and a description of the case study area. The fourth section is dedicated to an analysis of the narratives of international migrants, refugees, internal migrants, locals and stakeholders. Finally, the concluding section critically discusses the conceptualisations of rurality and well-being between the various population groups and articulates the challenges connected to well-being and mobilities in contemporary rural Greece.

Section: Intertwined Stories Of Mobility and Well-being In Western Grmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migrant and Refugee Impact on Well-Being in Rural Areas: Reframing Rural Development Challenges in Greece

Παπαδόπουλος

2021

Front. Sociol.

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“…Specifically, between 1992 and 2001 Romania signed bilateral agreements on labour recruitment and placement abroad with Germany (1992), Switzerland (1999), Hungary (2000, Spain (2002), Luxembourg (2001 and Portugal ( 2001) (Diminescu, 2005, p.65-67). In addition, the right granted to Romanians to move freely within the Schengen area in 2002 facilitated circular and seasonal migration patterns, particularly with southern European countries: Italy (Gabriel Anghel, 2008;Ban, 2012), Spain (Elrick & Ciobanu, 2009), Portugal (Ciobanu, 2015) and Greece (Papadopoulos & Fratsea, 2017;Fratsea & Papadopoulos, 2020). Opportunities for acquiring legal work and residence permits offered up by the regularization programs implemented in southern European countries also impacted on the mobility patterns of Romanian migrants.…”

Section: Dynamics Of Romanian Mobilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent and extensive literature has documented the characteristics of Romanian migration in different EU countries, particularly in Spain (Marcu, 2018), Italy (Gabriel Anghel, 2008;Ban, 2012), Portugal (Ciobanu, 2015) and the UK (Lulle, Moroşanu & King, 2018). However, in Greece, Romanian migration research has been rather limited, despite Romanians being (at 5.1%) among the top three national migrant groups after the Albanians (53%) and Bulgarians (8.3%) (Fratsea & Papadopoulos, 2020). While, in the early 1990s, Romanian migrants accounted for just 1,941 people in the years that followed the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, their numbers have increased: based on the last Population Census, 46,524 Romanians live in Greece.…”

Section: Dynamics Of Romanian Mobilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The economic crisis that affected Greece's economy also impacted on Romanian migrants' aspirations and migration plans. Indeed, empirical evidence suggests that in numerous cases, the recession had a devastating impact on the lives of Romanian migrants: unemployment sky-rocketed in Greece between 2013 and 2016, insecure employment increased, and despite many Romanians developing 'resilience strategies' to alleviate the implications of the economic recession (Fratsea & Papadopoulos, 2020), others decided either to move to another country or to return to their country of origin. The downturn therefore saw many people reassess their initial aspirations and migration plans and examine their options.…”

Section: Changing Opportunities Changing Aspirations: Reassessing MImentioning

confidence: 99%

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The unwritten ‘laws of migration’: reflections on inequalities, aspirations and cultures of migration

2019

Eur. XXI

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Ever since Ravenstein’s work on the “Laws of Migration”, the determinants/drivers of migration--that is, the question: ‘Why do people migrate?’ – has been at the heart of migration studies. The exploration of migration/mobility processes also emphasizes the ways that migrants decide to leave and embark on their journey and how migratory practices may orient and motivate the (im)mobility decisions and aspirations of other migrant actors, establishing various ‘cultures of migration’ and creating new ‘imaginaries of mobility’ that shape future movements. The paper aims to explore the changing aspirations of migration that influence the migration decision-making of Romanian migrants and the way these are shaped by micro, meso and structural factors in both sending and receiving countries.

“…Historically, the cultural proximity and geographical contiguity of the two countries have enabled the emergence of various forms of mobility.According to the 1991 Population Census, Romanian migrants amounted to just 1,941 people. Following the regularization programmes implemented in Greece between 1997 and 2007, in conjunction with the lifting of mobility restrictions within the Schengen area, new opportunities for permanent migration and/or temporary/circular mobility patterns emerged for Romanians, mainly in the Greek tourist and agricultural sectors(Fratsea & Papadopoulos, 2020;Papadopoulos & Fratsea, 2017). By 2011, the number of Romanians was twice the 2001 figure, at 46,524 people (ELSTAT Population Census, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Aspirations, agency and well‐being of Romanian migrants in Greece

Παπαδόπουλος

Population Space and Place

2022

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Migration is considered a meaningful strategy whereby both migrants and nonmigrants can improve their well-being and their livelihoods. The paper emphasizes the migrants' own perspective and sheds light on movers' noneconomic drivers. The concept of aspirations is treated as a 'missing link' that allows research into migration at its intersection with social inequalities, hierarchies and diversity. The paper's main aim is therefore to elucidate Romanian migrants' aspirations and to illustrate how these aspirations are informed by their agency and reflect their well-being both during and after the economic recession in Greece. Romanian migration provides sufficient grounds to invoke a more nuanced approach to migrants' well-being, which takes their 'dreams of fantasy' into account, along with their subjective experiences of inequalities and multiple belonging. This paper frames migrants' well-being theoretically as a relational process, but also in terms of the socio-spatial arrangements of migrant mobility/immobility acts. Romanians' narratives are analysed in relation to their social trajectories, spatial movement(s) and settlement patterns during their international and internal journey(s).