Paper short abstract:

Migrant associations focusing on women generally are reserved lesser attention in public debates and their impact on the overall political discourse on migration policies is often downplayed. The aim of this paper is to direct research on associative forms which involve women’s participation by following their process of formation, transformation or disappearance; by challenging the common interpretation that looks at women as scarcely relevant in public arenas; by considering the interplay between the gender and the political variable.

Paper long abstract:

Migrant associations focusing on women generally are reserved lesser attention in public debates and their impact on the overall political discourse on migration policies is often downplayed. The aim of this paper is to direct research on associative forms which involve women's participation by following their process of formation, transformation or disappearance; by challenging the common interpretation that looks at women as scarcely relevant in public arenas; by considering the interplay between the gender and the political variable. Field data come from a north eastern Italian town seen as a privileged stage where policies of migrants' inclusion and participation -in anticipation, in contrast or in line with national directives - are experienced and reshaped. Particular attention is paid to the narrative rhetoric used by the subjects involved interpreted as a reflexive form of new practices of citizenship.