Speaker
Description
This paper examines how Romanian immigrant women in Spain negotiate belonging, social mobility, and knowledge production within contemporary European migration regimes. Focusing on the provinces of Barcelona, Lleida, Valencia, and Castellón, the study analyses how women’s labour trajectories are shaped not only by structural inequalities but also by the coexistence of diverse knowledge systems, adaptive practices, and transnational forms of resilience. Moving beyond conventional integration frameworks, the research adopts an intersectional and relational perspective that conceptualises mobility as a dynamic and non-linear process influenced by gender, ethnicity, institutional structures, and migrant agency.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative data from Spanish institutional sources and a semi-structured survey with qualitative life histories, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. Beyond mere labor, Romanian migrant women provide vital knowledge that anchors care networks and local economies amidst systemic uncertainty and recurring crises.
While labour market segmentation, credential devaluation, and gendered inequalities frequently reproduce downward mobility and exclusion, participants also develop strategies of negotiated belonging through entrepreneurship, digital connectivity, informal solidarity networks, and transnational knowledge flows.
By foregrounding migrant knowledge systems and everyday practices of resilience, the paper contributes to debates on epistemic plurality, inclusive citizenship, and migrant-led social transformation in contemporary Europe.
| Presenting author | Ioana Marin |
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