Italian Geographies of Migration and Place
Conference Year
2023
Abstract
Most migration research focuses on the concept of mobility rather than immobility, therefore there is a need to better understand why people choose to stay in or return to the place where they grew up (Barcus & Shugatai, 2018; Erickson, Sanders, & Cope, 2018; C. E. Morse & Mudgett, 2018; Stockdale & Haartsen, 2018). This research gap was addressed by using mixed methods (a survey and interviews) to investigate the residential decisions of northeastern Italians in the provinces of Treviso, Pordenone, and Belluno, focusing on their place-based connections. The findings suggest that people are primarily tied to family, familiar landscapes, and culture, factoring these into their residential decisions and identities at different scales. Migration and place attachment studies would continue to benefit from inclusion of mixed methods that help to complicate traditional understandings of mobility/immobility and ties to place
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Cheryl Morse
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Second Student College
Patrick Leahy Honors College
Program/Major
Geography
Primary Research Category
Social Science
Italian Geographies of Migration and Place
Most migration research focuses on the concept of mobility rather than immobility, therefore there is a need to better understand why people choose to stay in or return to the place where they grew up (Barcus & Shugatai, 2018; Erickson, Sanders, & Cope, 2018; C. E. Morse & Mudgett, 2018; Stockdale & Haartsen, 2018). This research gap was addressed by using mixed methods (a survey and interviews) to investigate the residential decisions of northeastern Italians in the provinces of Treviso, Pordenone, and Belluno, focusing on their place-based connections. The findings suggest that people are primarily tied to family, familiar landscapes, and culture, factoring these into their residential decisions and identities at different scales. Migration and place attachment studies would continue to benefit from inclusion of mixed methods that help to complicate traditional understandings of mobility/immobility and ties to place