Paper short abstract:

Based on fieldwork research and conversations with women positioned differently in Italy’s broad Moroccan diaspora, the paper will address some of their expectations, desires and experiences of mobility and reproductive practices.

Paper long abstract:

The emergence of a fairly solid and enduring migration route between Morocco and Italy dates back to the 1980s. The trajectories, means and outcomes of these mobilities have varied greatly, but a number of specific areas of Italy are today inhabited by a well-established population that can be considered to be part of a so-called “Moroccan diaspora”. The number of official residents holding Moroccan citizenship exceeded 400,000 in 2022, yet these figures do not consider either the many people who now hold (dually or exclusively) Italian citizenship, nor those who aren’t registered. As it is often the case, these migrations have been described as mainly undertaken by men; who are later joined by their wives, children and relatives. Even though a male-driven route has often been a preferable technique of socio-geographical mobility within the Moroccan diaspora, equally relevant are both female-driven migration trajectories (where women are the ‘first’ to reach Italy), as well as 'the followers' strong commitment in planning for their own mobility. Engaging with the remarkable previous works of several scholars (to name but a few, Maher, Salih, Capelli, Menin, Gribaldo), this paper proposes to continue an exploration of the difficulties, desires, accommodations, and achievements with regard to mobility and intimacy choices for women differently belonging to Italy’s Moroccan diaspora.