Paper short abstract:

Through the analysis of the relations between subjectivity and structure and between material and symbolic dimension of social existence, this paper describes and explains the socio-logics of the practices of Sri Lankan migrants and the emotions related to the experience of migration to Italy.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is concerned with migration between Sri Lanka and Italy. Its aim is to describe and explain the socio-logics of the migrants' practices and the emotions that go along with their life trajectories. Multi-sited research in Wennapuwa (Sri Lanka) and Verona (Italy) enabled me to enter migrants' worlds and lives and to analyse the relations between subjectivity and structure and between material and symbolic dimension of social existence. Following Bourdieu's theory of practice, the analysis of these relations is the route to the understanding of people's lives. From this point of view, I analyse the migration phases of departure, permanence and return, which are contextualized in the present situation of the migration process, after more than 30 years from its inception, and according to the socio-economic positions of the migrants. Departure appears to be a risky gamble played because of the frustration of living the gap between global desires and local (im)possibilities and yet maintaining the hope for social ascent. Permanence becomes a challenge, through suffering, in a social context where foreign people are discriminated. As a consequence, migrants have to swiftly develop means of managing their new positions in society. In this situation help amongst Sri Lankans is necessary but problematic and relations amongst them become ambivalent. Return is a steady though but also a difficult target. High expectations of migration beat against high difficulties related to the achievement of success. So, migrants have to experience the anxiety of an uncertain future, a future divided between two worlds.