Doctoral research  in Italy

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

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My doctoral research focused on refugee integration in Riace, Italy. I wanted to understand how a small town in Italy with a lack of resources built a successful model for economic and social integration of refugees. I spent over a year of planning before conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Riace. I used this research for my Master's thesis and published results. 

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MY GOALS:

• Plan all logistics of the fieldwork (funding, accommodation, travel, location, etc)

• Select appropriate research methods and approach

• Recruit participants in a foreign language with no prior contacts in Riace

• Administer surveys and interviews

• Analyze, publish, and present my findings

PROCESS:

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I chose quantitative  surveys and qualitative interviews as my main research tools. The quantitative surveys came from a modified version of a Cohen Stress Scale, already translated into Italian. I created the qualitative interviews based on anthropological theory and my previous study on refugee integration.

 

I spoke to both locals and migrants to get a fuller understanding of the situation and aimed for 30+ participants. I did this through a combination of random, convenience, and snowball samplings. I met with locals who oftentimes acted as interpreters. 

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INITIAL FINDINGS:

• Exceeded sample size goal (37 > 30) and reached data saturation

• Identified key events and general processes:

  • Vast majority of locals (91%) agreed the previous Migrant Model was successful and that the town relied on migration

  • Most migrants had fled the city in recent months due to political upheaval

  • As time went on, people in Riace became less willing to discuss migration and politics, indicating fatigue

INSIGHTS

• The young, migrant demographic counterbalanced an aging Italian population too old for the workforce--a major reason given for the model's success

  • Young migrants were trained by locals in a variety of fields, in addition to working agricultural jobs, stimulating the local economy​

  • The town encouraged celebration of migrants' heritage (ie weaving hand-made Afghan rugs to sell in local shops) while also welcoming migrants to celebrate local customs, thus fostering integration

• The Riace model's success fell apart mainly due to competing ideas of national identity, local economic disputes, and lack of government trust

• While most migrants left, some went to the next town over, Camini