Children’s agency and migration: Constructing kinship in Latin American and East European families living in Italy

Abstract

This study explores the ways immigrant children interpret the migration of their mothers and the reunification in the host society. The research was based on 28 interviews with children of Latin American and East European origin who rejoined their mothers at different ages. The findings highlight that immigrant children are active agents in family reunifications and are able to (re) make and negotiate kin relations with their mothers. Even though the mother-child relationship is usually assumed to be 'natural' and biological kinship is considered the essential basis for the relationship, for reunited children social kinship is more important than the biological link. Kin relations with mothers are constructed in everyday life, and the outcomes can be more or less positive. The final aim is to underline how migrant children can influence kin relations within their reunited families and to gain a broader understanding of family reunification patterns.

Children’s Behavioral Agency within Families in the Context of Migration: A Systematic Review

“…I know that if they have the money, they will pay for school fees and buy me everything I need (Asana, female, 14 years)” (Amoah, 2020 , p. 469) “I prefer to work now than go to school because schooling may bring a better future, but I need to survive now. And I am working hard so I can send some money to my mother – Tapiwa (out-of-shelter boy, 17 years)” (Adefehinti & Arts, 2019 , p. 435) Family reunification Negotiating intergenerational relations (Caneva, 2015 ; Giuliani et al, 2017 ) Negotiating the traditional division of gender roles (Giuliani et al, 2017 ; Lagomarsino & Castellani, 2016 ) Utilizing the family and kinship resources to overcome challenges (Saint-Blancat & Zaltron, 2013 ) (1) Define, negotiate, and construct intergenerational relations (2) Resistant and renegotiate the traditional division of gender roles (3) Use the emotional and instrumental resources in the family and kinship to overcome challenges “It was an instinctive reaction, I didn’t want to do certain things, because I hadn’t been with her for a long time and I wasn’t used to doing certain things with her any more. It is still rare for me to hug her or tell her I love her.…”

Agencia y polivictimización en infancia migrante: analizando percepciones profesionales

“…Estas investigaciones han contribuido a visualizar la agencia infantil, es decir la capacidad de niños y niñas para incidir sobre las cosas que les afectan (James y James, 2012) Investigaciones a nivel internacional, en diversos contextos, dan cuenta de las estrategias que niños y niñas despliegan para incidir en los procesos migratorios que les afectan. Entre los resultados más notables de la agencia destacan una serie de mecanismos para definir y negociar la autoridad y las relaciones de parentesco de forma dinámica a lo largo de la trayectoria migratoria (Caneva, 2015;Moscoso, 2013;Pavez-Soto, 2011;Piras, 2016;Sime y Fox, 2015).…”

“…Por ejemplo, una investigación de familias latinoamericanas en Italia es ilustrativa (Caneva, 2015). De acuerdo a Caneva (2015) niñas y niños pueden decidir si desean reconocer el rol de sus madres y mediante qué mecanismos.…”

Anatomy of a crisis: governing youth mobility through vulnerability

“…In the case of young people in particular, a focus on vulnerability additionally ignores that children make decisions and that those decisions are influenced by a variety of factors and relationships (Caneva 2015;Heidbrink 2020). Discourses of trauma, exploitation, and risk produce young people's vulnerability, and thus, they are reliant upon the interventions of well-meaning (adult) professionals to guide their psychic and physical development into adulthood (Heidbrink 2014).…”