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Accepted Paper:

Qt'a al-bhar bach toulli rajl (Crossing the sea to become a man): imagined trips of aspiring migrants from Morocco to Italy  
Elsa Mescoli (Universite de Liege)

Paper long abstract:

Addressing aspiring migrants' dreams planning to move from Khouribga (Morocco) to Italy , I will focus on the construction of the imagined "away from home" and "back home" versus an experienced and symbolized "staying", and I will point out how they converge.

A context of crisis perceived inside Moroccan society, concerning lack of working opportunities and diffuse nepotism, pushes many people of Khouribga to imagine a life elsewhere. The steady contact with images and goods coming from Italy presents this country as a land where to fulfil oneself. An imagined life becomes a migration project, though one which seems to turn into a trip "without moving". To face these dynamics, the local context shapes its actions as to let people go away by, actually, forcing them to realize their trip "at home".

Panel W036
Aspiring migrants, local crises, and the imagination of futures 'away from home'
  Session 1