Mouride Transnational Livelihoods at the Margins of a European Society: The Case of Residence Prealpino, Brescia, Italy
Titel:
Mouride Transnational Livelihoods at the Margins of a European Society: The Case of Residence Prealpino, Brescia, Italy
Auteur:
Kaag, Mayke
Verschenen in:
Journal of ethnic and migration studies
Paginering:
Jaargang 34 (2008) nr. 2 pagina's 271-285
Jaar:
2008-03
Inhoud:
In this paper, the Residence Prealpino, a building declared uninhabitable but which houses some 300 Senegalese migrants in an otherwise well-to-do neighbourhood in the town of Brescia, Italy, is taken as a case of how migrants' lives are influenced both by the local context in which they make a living and by the transnational linkages they maintain with their homelands. Studies of integration normally focus on how migrants adapt to the situation in the country of arrival and often do not see that arriving in a new country does not mean leaving the old behind. Although transnational studies take this into account they have tended to neglect the influence of local circumstances and display a rather optimistic picture of transnational migrants' lives. This positive interpretation of transnationalism is especially evident in the case of the Mourides, the Muslim brotherhood to which the majority of the Senegalese in Brescia belong. They are often heralded as African winners, conquering the world. While this may be true in some respects, it is only part of the picture. The case of Residence Prealpino shows how making a livelihood at the margins of a European society is often difficult but also indicates how Mouride local and transnational links help people cope with this situation. It thus contributes to a more nuanced view of the Mouride brotherhood and what it is to be a Mouride migrant in the current era.
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