The Western European Countryside From An Eastern European Perspective: Case Of Migrant Workers In Norwegian Agriculture

Abstract

In the wake of the EU enlargements in 2004 and 2007, large numbers of migrant workers from Eastern Europe in-migrated to the Western European countryside. In this paper I discuss how these migration streams in important ways challenge the dominant perspectives in contemporary rural studies, in particular their focus on lifestyle-related rural in-migration, on the post-productivist character of the countryside, and on the social constructions of the rural as idyllic space. These perspectives are examined based on qualitative material from in-depth interviews with 54 migrant workers in the Norwegian agricultural industry. These migrants' everyday experiences in the rural West add important nuance to the dominant scholarly images of rural idylls and dullness, descriptions of rural communities as less marked by class structures than urban regions, and traditionalist presentations of rural social life and communities.Oppsummering: Etter EU-utvidelsene i 2004 og 2007 flyttet mange øst-europeere til de vesteuropiske landene for å arbeide i de rurale primaernaeringene. I artikkelen diskuterer jeg hvordan denne flyttestrømmen utfordrer sentrale perspektiver i den bygdesosiologiske flytteforskningstradisjonen, spesielt fokuset på på livsstilsflytting, bygdas post-produktivistiske karakter og betydningen av at det rurale konstrueres som «idyllisk». Gjennom analyser av et kvalitatitivt datamateriale (dybdeintervjuer med 54 øst-europeere som arbeider i den norske landbruksnaeringen) viser jeg hvordan forestillinger om byda ut fra dikotomien idyll/kjedsomhet og det rurale som et klasseløst og tradisjonsbundet samfunn er lite meningsfulle i analyser av de øst-europeiske innflytterne, ei heller av de vest-europeiske bygdesamfunnene.

International Labour Migration and Food Production in Rural Europe: A Review of the Evidence

“…They form distinct communities, which are conceived of as distant, and even deviant from the viewpoint of the locals. Similarly secluded and impoverished immigrant enclaves have also been reported in other parts of rural Europe, leading some authors to suggest that migrants working in the food production industry have come to form a rural underclass, or class apart (Kasimis , p. 513; Rye ), the ‘new international proletariat’ (Avallone , p. 137).…”

“…Nevertheless, insight into the integration of migrants in rural areas is still limited (Jentsch et al . ; McAreavey ; Rye ; Flynn and Kay ). Dufty‐Jones (, p. 370), for instance, notes that the conditions of labour migrants in rural communities are far less explored than of those in the metropolitan areas.…”

“…); the related use of political economy (Rogaly ) and segmented labour market (Hoggart and Mendoza ; Rye ) perspectives; Scott's () elaboration of Harvey's concept of the ‘spatial fix’; the use of gender theory (e.g., Mannon et al . ; Hellio ; Kilkey and Urzi ); Goffman and social identity theory (McAreavey ; ), transnationalism (e.g., Andrzejewska and Rye ; Hedberg and Do Carmo ); rural cosmopolitanism (Popke ; Schech ; Woods ); and, theories of rural transformation (Rye ).…”

Processes of socio-spatial exposures and isolations among Polish labour migrants in rural Norway: Exploring social integration as a lived experience

“…Moreover, as international migration triggers a rather rapid socio-demographic change, generating risks of emerging local social stratifications (i.e. Rye, 2014), it is important to assess the longitudinal effects of the international rural migration and integration of migrants. This may be achieved not only through ethnographic returns but also through quantitative studies measuring changes over time.…”

“…Rural host regions in Europe display considerable national and local differences, which have implications for migrants’ integration trajectories (Bock et al, 2016; Woods, 2016). A significant part of the literature concerning international rural migration has examined how the processes of inclusion and exclusion of migrants are reflected in their position in local labour markets (Danson and Jentsch, 2009; Kasimis et al, 2010; Rye, 2014; Scott, 2013), with the agricultural sector being the most explored (Rye and Scott, 2018). Studies that have analysed the employment of migrants in local industries found a lack of locally available labour force or the perception of migrants’ work ethic as superior to that of the locals as factors enhancing the presence of migrants in those industries (Friberg and Midtbøen 2018; Scott, 2013; Tannock, 2015).…”