Routledge Gender and Migration in Italy: A Multilayered Perspective

Recent migratory flows to Europe have brought about considerable changes in many countries. Italy in particular offers a unique point of view, since it is possible to observe not only the way migration has changed specific features of the country, but also how it is intertwined with gender relations. Considering both the type of migration that has affected Italy and the consequent measures adopted by the Government, a variety of distinctive elements may be seen. By providing a broad and more complete picture of the Italian perspective on gender and migration, this book makes a valuable contribution to the wider debate. The contributions consider the problematic linkage between gender and migration, as well as analyse particular aspects including Italian colonial past, domestic work, self-determination, access to social services, second-generation migrant women, family law, multiculturalism and religious symbols. Taking an empirical and theoretical approach, the volume underlines both the multifaceted problems affecting migrant women in Italy and the way in which questions raised in other countries are introduced and redefined by Italian scholarship. The book presents a valuable resource for researchers, academics and policy-makers working in the areas of migration and gender studies. Review "Elisa Olivito's book is a multidimensional contribution to the constantly growing literature on gender and migration. It explores the complexities and controversies of the Italian migration context and policies of 'Open houses versus closed borders', where immigrant women, these 'forerunners' of Italian immigration, remain confined to domestic work." - Mirjana Morokvasic, ISP-CNRS-Université Paris Ouest, France "An amazing collection which sheds light on a multifaceted social reality that Italian observers too often ignore or approach with a gender-neutral gaze. Feminism, history, law and semiotics all contribute to unveil the universe of migrant women in Italy, at the same time offering an extraordinary picture of Italian society and institutional settings . A must-read!" - Maria Rosaria Marella, University of Perugia, Italy "This stimulating and multi-voiced collection is an indispensable reader for scholars and students alike, in discursive fields as diverse as law, social sciences and gender studies. Passionately committed to uncovering and reinventing the themes of gender and migration, the authors measure the complex interplay between citizenship, access to power and resources and fundamental rights in the Italian context. This rich and multidisciplinary journey takes the reader to unfamiliar territories, using a whole range of directions to approach the subject. Be prepared to lose your way and find a new path to get back home!" - Pascale Fournier, University of Ottawa, Canada About the Author Elisa Olivito is Associate Professor of Institutions of Public Law at the University of Rome ’La Sapienza’ Faculty of Law, Italy, where she teaches Constitutional Justice. She received her PhD in Public Law from the University of Perugia. She has been visiting researcher at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (2004), at the Harvard Law School (2006) and at the Universidad del Cuyo of Mendoza, Argentina (2007). Former editor-in-chief of the Italian Constitutional Association web-review ’www.rivistaic.it’, Professor Olivito is member of the editorial staff of ’Democrazia e diritto’ and of the online review ’www.costituzionalismo.it’. She has written widely on affirmative action policy and gender issues, migration and multiculturalism, secularism and religious symbols, legal fictions, environmental rights and participatory democracy.