Titolo della tesi: INVESTIGATING THE INTERCULTURAL JOURNEY OF NIGERIAN REFUGEES IN ITALY
This research revolves around the representations and narratives of Nigerian refugee in Italy. It explores into the challenges faced by these individuals, dissecting the intricacies of their integration processes within Italian society and envisioning pathways toward a more inclusive future for both migrants and their host society. Italy, over recent years, has stood as one of the hosts of Nigerian migrants in Europe. The migration of Nigerians to Italy traces back to the 1980s when Italy's demand for labor led to substantial migration from sub-Saharan Africa. The Nigerian community in Italy, initially male-dominated, experienced a significant shift in the late 1980s (Cingolani, 2003). Currently, Nigerian migrants in Italy struggle with cultural divides, experiencing estrangement and powerlessness, not only along national lines but deeply entrenched within the diaspora itself (Kosic, 2004). The complexities surrounding this migration involve socio-economic, political, and cultural factors, making it timely to understand the positioning and social representation of Nigerians in Italy (Van Langenhove, & Harré, 1994). This study employs a narrative approach to social representation and positioning, moreover, it focuses on the role of non-formal education as a catalyst for the development of multiple empowered identities (De Rosa, Bocci, & Proietti, 2023).
The core of the research lies in unraveling the interplay of social representation, positioning theory, and the migratory experiences of Nigerian refugee in Italy through social representation theory, the study uncovers the representations of Nigerian refugees and of the intercultural encounters which are shared by Nigerian refugees themselves. Positioning theory is moreover employed to explore how Nigerian refugee narratively position themselves within Italian society and within the migrant communities as well. Finally, we investigated the same issues with key players involved in the intercultural interactions, namely with those involved in providing non-formal educations initiatives (Moghaddam, F. M., Harré, R., & Lee, N. (2008).
The study highlighted the conflicts arising from negative cultural disparities, that hinders the integration process. The exploration further extended to acculturation processes, and to the adaptation strategies of individuals to a new cultural environment (Prisco, & Silva, 2020). Finally, Education paths was considered as a linchpin for migrant integration, with non-formal education initiatives playing a pivotal role in addressing obstacles faced by migrants in traditional formal education.
In this perspective the research examines, the transformative impact of non-formal education on migrant lives in Italy, exploring its manifestations, role in cultural acculturation, and how it fostered social cohesion by empowering migrants and forging a more inclusive, cohesive society within the Italian context (Elia, L., Loprieno, A., & Di Maio, G. 2019). Overall, this study comprehensive analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of immigrant integration complexities, paving the way for informed policies and interventions.
The goal of this research was to enhance our understanding of the complex interplay of identity, identity negotiation, belonging, and psychosocial adaptation among Nigerian refugees in Italy, which is often characterized by various challenges. By integrating a theoretical and methodological approach which used Slocum-Bradley’s (2010) positioning analysis grid to table the discursive positions of both refugees and institutional actors, and finally Berry’s (1997) acculturation model to discursively frame the psychosocial adaptation patterns, the study provided a nuanced picture of the processes of identity and adaptation at the interface of individual control and structural constraints.
This research analyzes the narrative‐episodic interviews of the Nigerian refugees in Italy. The stories of the refugees reflect not only about their lives and experiences, their identities, and their daily existence, but also about universal social themes related to migration, belonging, discrimination and culture. These experiences were examined from three main theoretical perspectives: Social Representation Theory (SRT), Positioning theory and Berry’s Acculturation Model, using the Slocum-Bradley Positioning Grid as a tool for systematic and interpretative analysis of interviews (2009).
This selection of approaches in the study enables a multi-faceted analysis of refugee identity and control in the host social context. Social Representation Theory, proposed by Serge Moscovici, provides us with a way to understand how groups and individuals understand their social world using common sense knowledge. Considered in the light of the experience of Nigerian refugees in Italy, the applicability of this theory becomes particularly apparent in the explanation of how dominant discourses of Nigerian-ness (discourses that are invariably colored by stigma, racialization, and suspicion) are taken up, absorbed, and resisted, or re-articulated by refugees.
This research explored how Nigerian refugees in Europe negotiate identity, belonging, and existence in a sociocultural environment that is frequently hostile or indifferent to the details of their life experiences. Findings from 30 participants (17 men, 13 women) highlight the complex relationship between displacement, identity negotiation, cultural performance and social location. Their stories from fragmented homelands of ethnic diversity to homogenizing host-societies demonstrate both vulnerability and control.
Findings from interviews conducted based on 10 key informants in non-formal education activity of the Nigerian refugee migrants based in Italy. The interviewees were two women and eight men, representing different positions in NGOs, religious organizations, and local communities in different Italian regions. The study of the main stakeholders working in non-formal education with Nigerian refugees in Italy, indicates that there is a complex system of operation in NFE (Non Formal Education). All participants play large roles in assistance in: overcoming language barriers, giving psychosocial support, and working communities and culture and gender identities. The theoretical perspectives are Social Representation Theory, Positioning Theory, and Berry’s Model of Acculturation, which are used as interpretative lenses to explore how refugees and their supporters are positioning themselves in relation to identities, rights and integration practices in a context of a difficult social and political environment.
Concluding, community-based activist, religious and NGO-led non formal education initiatives have played a critical role in the support networks that emerged to strengthen resilience and integration. But if we really want to improve the lives of Nigerian refugees in Italy, all these initiatives will need to be accompanied by wider, better-resourced, strategic and coordinated policies that tackle structural obstacles and foster sustainable inclusion.
Finally, the research contributes to the larger studies on acculturation strategies by showing how Nigerian refugee experiences are not only personal but also situated in—and responsive to – broader systems of representation, power, and cultural discourse. Their narratives defy reductive or monolithic understandings of migration and, instead, illuminate the complexity and dynamism around identity formation, placement, and negotiation.