Volunteering, Migration and Citizenship : The Role of Volunteering in Constructing Inclusive Societies

Volunteering, Migration and Citizenship brings together the fields of migration studies and volunteering research to juxtapose the study of volunteering by migrants with the study of volunteering for migrants. While in the social sciences volunteering has often been interpreted as the result of a renunciation of the transformation of society - a regression to pre-modern forms of helping the needy, or a retreat from ideals of social justice - this book takes an unconventional position by pointing to the potential of volunteering in the field of migration. Drawing on a study of volunteering for and by immigrants in Italy over the last eight years, it shows how volunteering not only responds to the logic of depoliticisation and ethical citizenship, but can also contribute to extending the social boundaries of society towards a more just and welcoming society. Crucially, it argues that volunteering in the field of migration can be situated within the domain of acts of citizenship, and that volunteering can take on a political character, enabling citizens and migrants alike to engage in micro-political acts. Offering an innovative and unconventional look at the intersection of migration and volunteering, it crosses different themes and will appeal to an interdisciplinary audience in social movement studies, political sociology, civil society studies, cultural geography, migration studies and citizenship studies.