PHOENIX Erasmus +: Erasmus Mundus

Research topic:

The ageing of the population and the growing number of chronic diseases is one of the most important epidemiologic characteristics of the evolution of developed societies. Despite various differences within nations, the policies enacted in this field present certain similarities. More in detail, studies have underlined that we are witnessing a process of de institutionalisation concerning different forms of care assistance, an important transfer of care responsibilities upon the family and non qualified caregivers, as well as the diffusion of many kinds of domiciliary interventions at the home place, that is more and more promoted by public policies as the most suitable place for daily care supports. During the last twenty years, in Southern Europe and most of all in Italy, a very specific live-in domestic setting called "badantato" has spread into the social fabric. The expression shifting topology of care (Milligan, 2009) focuses the attention on the new patterns and social determinisms produced by this process of de-institutionalisation, re-familiarisation and delegation of the care work within the domestic space. The shift of the topology of care made by apparently neutral policies has clearly institutionalised not only new forms of transnational care giving arrangements but also an occupational segregation going with an "international division of care work" based on "gender" and "nationality" inequalities. Such policies facilitate the allocation of a large part of care activities to a group of people from a lower economical and social status in releasing other dominant groups from the daily responsibilities concerning many kind of care activities. This research will therefore focus on canalisation effects, recruitment mechanisms and social networks that sustain the migratory phenomenon from Eastern Europe(Scrinzi, 2004). A cross-national approach, largely inspired by the sociology of migration developed by Abdelmalek Sayad in order enlighten the mixed embeddedness (Kloosterman,1999) character of such niches as well as the complex interconnection taking place between different institutional, social as well as economic contexts within a transnational space of action.

Academic Degree/Area:

2013-2016 : Joint Doctoral Program Erasmus Mundus "Phoenix JDP Dynamic of Health & Welfare", EHESS / University of Evora

Publications:

• 2015, with Baldassar Loretta, Merla Laura, Transnational Families, Migration and the Circulation of Care. Understanding Mobility and Absence in Family Life, Recherches sociologiques et anthropologiques, 461, 2015.
• 2015, with Marina Chao, Signe Munck, Samuel Thomas, Justine Rochot et Cécile Van de Velde, « Les expériences de la solitude en doctorat. Fondements et inégalités », Socio-logos, 10.
• 2013, "Famiglie e anziani assistiti da badanti : l'altra faccia della medaglia", M@gm@, 113.