From social integration to social emplacement: perspectives from Italian rural areas

This contribution presents the results of a qualitative research conducted on migrant settlement in rural Italy. It proposes moving beyond the concept of social integration to explore the potential of social emplacement of asylum seekers and refugees in non-urban areas. From this point of view, the results will be presented in the light of four analytical categories. The first is that of the influences of the specificities of Italian rural contexts on social emplacement processes. The second concerns the important issue of choice concerning migration paths in relation to non-urban areas. The third investigates the creation of social capital and the potentialities and limits observed in rural contexts. Finally, the contribution looks at the possibilities of access to services and forms of housing.