Transnational families’ experiences. A research on generations of Italians living in Belgium

Abstract

Adopting a family perspective on the migration phenomenon means considering the relevance of the links between the various components along a multi-generation temporal and relational axis. The research in question, through a qualitative methodology, analyzes how socialization processes can evolve through generations within the family dimension. Migration experiences are indeed very different from one generation to another. Moreover, it turns out like the transnational social fields in which migrants and their descendents are embedded, span different countries and form a significant context for their everyday lives. It seemed interesting to propose a study that deal with the Italian emigration of the past, analyzing however the most recent implications. The country chosen as case study is also for this reason Belgium, where the Italian presence is still very relevant. The study was attended by descendants of Italians who arrived in the country after the Second World War.

Keywords

• migration
• italy
• intergenerational relationships
• qualitative studies
• italian emigration
• belgium