The Different Forms of Hosting Migrants in Italy: Between Humanitarian, Contentious and Economic Logics

This paper will address three different forms of hosting asylum seekers and refugees that coexist in Italy. It is based on semi-structured interviews and observations conducted during fieldwork in Sicily (2007; 2010; 2016) and in Rome (2017; 2018). The first form to be discussed are reception centres. Since the 2000s, there has been an increasing rationalisation of the management of reception centres. Most of them are managed by non-state actors which are selected by the state through public tenders. Once selected, they receive public funding, which corresponds to the services that they must provide to the migrants, such as food and clothing. The actors in charge of these centres are non-profit associations called “social cooperatives” which although hire paid staff they also strongly rely on volunteers. Since the beginning of 2010 and the increase of migrant’s arrivals in Italy, these centres have proliferated, notably in the Southern regions. The second form to be noted are the catholic housing networks which have grown after Pope Francis has called on every parish and religious community to take in one migrant family. With the logistic help of the Caritas, migrants have been hosted in some parishes. Once again, the support of volunteers, especially parish faithful, is crucial. In other cases, the hosting has taken place in “semi-autonomy houses” managed by strong catholic organizations such as the Sant’Egidio Community, the Caritas, or the Jesuits. There is no government funding for this kind of hosting. Thus, organizations rely on their own budget or participate in European projects. Finally, squats are another important form of hosting vulnerable population. In Italy, there is a strong and ancient tradition of occupation born out of the libertarian movements of the 70’s and later appropriated by the no Global movement. The activists who are engaged in these sites are politicized.