Marc Brightman

Rural migration in the Mediterranean is at a critical historical juncture. For over a century, rural populations in southern Europe have been in decline, but intensive farming methods, competitive pricing and large scale distribution have increased demand for cheap agricultural labour provided by migrants from Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and further afield, leading to suggestions that the flow of migrants into and across Europe, which is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, may offer opportunities for rural regeneration. Such a view faces challenges such as the vulnerability of migrants to exploitation, and mistrust or fear of cultural difference on the part of local populations.

The micro-politics of migrant agricultural work in Europe offers a significant and under-researched case study for understanding the wider tensions between the economic advantages and social challenges raised by the continuing trends of net migration to Europe. This case study in social and cultural relations of food production and the multi-functional roles of migrants in rural economies also helps to bring into simultaneous focus questions of social and environmental sustainability. For instance, it is well understood that biological diversity is necessary for sustainability, and there is evidence that cultural diversity plays an analogous role, and indeed that it is positively related to biodiversity, but the political dimensions of this relationship are poorly understood.

This project will build upon a year’s ethnographic field research, funded by a Leverhulme research fellowship (2016-17), investigating the changing relationships between migrants and local populations in the important agricultural region of south-eastern Sicily, focusing on agricultural landscapes and networks of labour recruitment. The EURIAS fellowship (2017-18) will be used to write a book and some shorter publications on this subject, for academic and general readerships. It will allow time to explore the wider implications of the research, and to develop an international research network and raise further funding for a larger, regional scale project covering various sites across the Mediterranean.