Description
Book Synopsis By linking the experiences of immigrant families with the increased reliance on cheap and flexible workers for care and domestic work in Southern Europe, this study documents the lived experiences of neglected actors of globalization — migrant women — as well as the transformations of Western families more generally. However, while describing in detail the structural and cultural contexts within which these women have to operate, the book questions dominant paradigms about women as passive victims of patriarchal structures and brings out instead their agency and the creative ways in which they take control of their lives in often difficult circumstances. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork and interviews, the author offers a valuable dual comparison between two Southern European countries on the one hand and between two migrant groups, one Christian and one Muslim, on the other, thus bringing to light unique detailed data on migration decision-making, settlement and on the multiple ways in which different women cope with the consequences of their transnational lives.
Trade Review “…the book of Zontini makes an important and original contribution to studies of migration, gender, and transnationalism. It will certainly be of much interest to scholars as well as students working in these fields.” · Anthropos
“The book is inspiring in many respects…What stays with you after reading the book [are] the inspiring narratives of interviewed women…Personal biographies are thus the highlight of the book.” · Anthropological Notebooks
Table of Contents List of Tables
List of Maps
Chapter 1. Introduction: Southern Europe and the New Immigrations
Chapter 2. Transnational Migration, Gender and Settlement: Towards an Understanding of the Southern European Case
Chapter 3. Immigration, Work and Family in Bologna
Chapter 4. Immigration, Work and Family in Barcelona
Chapter 5. Comparative Perspectives on Female Migration and Settlement in Southern Europe
Chapter 6. Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
