What hinders the occupational mobility of immigrants: Structural, group, and individual conditions of Peruvian immigrants in Italy and Japan.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H01572
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 08010:Sociology-related
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Higuchi Naoto 早稲田大学, 人間科学学術院, 教授 (00314831)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 稲葉 奈々子 上智大学, 総合グローバル学部, 教授 (40302335)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 移民 / ペルー人 / 非正規移民 / イタリア / 外国人労働者 / 社会移動 / 介護労働

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study did two main things. (1) We conducted fieldwork in Italy for six time between December 2021 and February 2024, interviewing 850 South American immigrants, of whom 844 were of Peruvian origin. Peruvian immigrants in Italy have had the lowest occupational status among all immigrants, with caregiving and transportation being considered niches. The low hierarchical status can be explained to a certain extent by the fact that the majority enter the country as undocumented immigrants and by the low level of hierarchy in their countries of origin. While international migration is said to be difficult for the poor in developing countries, lower class urban workers in Lima, who work as street vendors, private bus conductors, and cleaners, came to Italy. (2) In order to compare Italy and Japan, we analyzed survey data on Peruvians living in Japan that we had previously studied.

Free Research Field

社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

イタリアは、スペインと並んで移民人口が急速に増加した新興受入国であるが、日本でなされた研究はその重要性に比して不釣り合いなほど少ない。そうした状況に対して、フィールドワークを行い、コロナ禍で前半の調査が不可能だったにもかかわらず、850件のインタビューを行ったのは、前例のない試みといえる。欧州移民に関する日本の研究は、文献調査か少数の質的調査にもとづいていたが、本研究は欧州の研究者に伍してフィールドワークを行うことが可能であることをしめしたといえる。