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

This contribution presents the results of a qualitative researchconducted on migrant settlement in rural Italy. It proposesmoving beyond the concept of social integration to explore thepotential of social emplacement of asylum seekers and refugeesin non-urban areas. From this point of view, the results will bepresented in the light of four analytical categories. Thefirst isthat of the influences of the specificities of Italian rural contextson social emplacement processes. The second concerns theimportant issue of choice concerning migration paths in relationto non-urban areas. The third investigates the creation of socialcapital and the potentialities and limits observed in ruralcontexts. Finally, the contribution looks at the possibilities ofaccess to services and forms of housing.