Coloniality and Meritocracy in Unequal EU Migrations: Intersecting Inequalities in Post-2008 Italian Migration

This book explores how the concept of meritocracy is a form of coloniality that reproduces narratives of ethnic and racial difference between European centers and peripheries, and between Europe and its others. It examines the motivations of migrants for moving abroad and how these narratives are experienced within classed, racialized, and gendered migrations. By connecting decolonial theory with the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu, the book provides innovative insights into the relationships between meritocracy, coloniality, and European whiteness, and the social stratification of EU migrations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 198 pages
Publication date: 28 April 2023
Publisher: Bristol University Press

This book offers a groundbreaking reinterpretation of meritocracy as a manifestation of coloniality, specifically as a societal construct that perpetuates narratives of ethnic and racial disparities between European centers and peripheries, as well as between Europe and its other counterparts. By conducting in-depth interviews with working and middle-class, white and Black Italians who relocated to Britain following the 2008 economic crisis, the book delves into the underlying narratives of Northern meritocracy and Southern backwardness that shape the motivations of migrants for seeking opportunities abroad. Through a comprehensive analysis of classed, racialized, and gendered migrations, the book sheds light on how these narratives are experienced within the context of these complex movements. By integrating decolonial theory with the sociological insights of Pierre Bourdieu, this book provides novel perspectives on the intricate relationships between meritocracy, coloniality, and European whiteness, as well as on the social stratification of EU migrations.

This book offers a groundbreaking reinterpretation of meritocracy as a manifestation of coloniality, specifically as a societal construct that perpetuates narratives of ethnic and racial disparities between European centers and peripheries, as well as between Europe and its other counterparts. By conducting in-depth interviews with working and middle-class, white and Black Italians who relocated to Britain following the 2008 economic crisis, the book delves into the underlying narratives of Northern meritocracy and Southern backwardness that shape the motivations of migrants for seeking opportunities abroad. Through a comprehensive analysis of classed, racialized, and gendered migrations, the book sheds light on how these narratives are experienced within the context of these complex movements. By integrating decolonial theory with the sociological insights of Pierre Bourdieu, this book provides novel perspectives on the intricate relationships between meritocracy, coloniality, and European whiteness, as well as on the social stratification of EU migrations.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529222708