Transnational Lives? The Case of Peruvians in Milan

Sociologists of migration are paying increasing attention to the transnational aspects of migratory phenomena. Transnationalism is both a way to view migrations and a phenomenon that may be manifest internally to the latter. In particular, the term ‘transnationalism’ refers mainly to the tight-knit network of exchanges and two-way connections that migrants create between their countries of origin and of destination. It also refers to the fact that often – but not always – these same migrants commit to, and simultaneously participate in, the social lives of their places of origin and of residence. In this regard, various authors have stressed that transnational migrations are an aspect of particular salience in globalization processes, and that they configure themselves a specific form of bottom-up globalization. The chapter presents the main results of a survey conducted on the Peruvian community in Milan. The study was based on secondary data, both economic and socio-demographic, and on around thirty semi-structured interviews conducted with leaders of the Peruvian community. The aim was to determine the existence, diffusion, importance and nature of transnational dynamics in the lives of the members of this community of migrants.