Work, Family and Integration Indian Migrant Farmers in Northern Italy

This book examines the migration of Indians (mainly from the Punjab region in north India) to parts of northern Italy, especially the Emilia-Romagna region. It analyzes the mobility patterns of migrants who occupy a niche in the labour market and unpacks the forward and backward linkages that migrants imagine, experience, and endure, not only in the context of the materiality of livelihood opportunities and income generation in Italy but also through affect, as potential immigrants and then as migrants, in a territorial and imagined space. The book unravels uncertainties and anxieties about identity among youth, women, and men through in-depth interviews. It also examines a reassertion of cultural tropes that portray identity in marked and vexed ways. The book brings a mutual recognition and acceptance of diversity, or its lack, in a European nation. It stands out for its nuanced ethnographic detail, its attention to the voices of youth and women, and exploration of their relationshipwith the host community. The book, therefore, is a must-read for everybody interested in a better understanding of migration and the culture of migration in different countries.

Dr. Meenakshi Thapan is a trustee of the Krishnamurti Foundation of India and currently the Director of Rishi Valley Education Centre in rural Andhra Pradesh. During her university years, she taught briefly at the Rishi Valley School and later conducted her field research within this school community, resulting in the publication of her first book, Life at School: an ethnographic study (OUP, 1991, 2006). Subsequently, she has been a highly accomplished academician, based at the University of Delhi, both in the Department of Education, and later at the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics. She has travelled widely, teaching, speaking and contributing to university departments all over the world. She is the recipient of a number of prestigious awards, apart from being the author of numerous books, research papers and articles in several prominent publications. She was series editor of a five volume series on Women and Migration in Asia (SAGE, 2005-2008) and is currently series editor of Education and Society in South Asia (Oxford University Press, 2018-ongoing).

Prior to joining Rishi Valley Education Centre in 2019 as its Director, Dr. Thapan held the positions of Professor of Sociology and Director,  Delhi School of Economics as well as Head of the D.S. Kothari Centre for Science, Ethics and Education at the University of Delhi.