Emerging in the throes of a global pandemic that threatens Europe's economies and food security, International Labour Migration to Europe's Rural Regions combines a diverse range of empirically rich, in-depth case studies, analysis of their rural context specificities, and insights from labour market and migration theories, to critically examine the conditions and implications of rural labour migration.

Despite its growing political, economic and social importance, our understanding of international labour migration to Europe's rural regions remains limited. This edited volume provides intricate descriptions of lived experience, critical theoretical analyses, analytical synthesis, and policy recommendations for this novel and developing phenomenon that has the potential to transform the lives of international migrants and local communities. The book's 25 authors represent a wide range of social science disciplines, with coverage of a vast range of Europe's rural regions, and diverse types of rural labour in areas such as horticulture, shepherding, wild berry picking and fish processing.

The volume will be of interest to policy makers at local, regional, national and European levels, and scholars and students in a broad range of areas, including migration, labour markets, and rural studies.

This book is available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com.

About the Author

Johan Fredrik Rye is Professor in sociology at the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has studied varies forms of mobility in late modern societies, including international labour migration, domestic migration of youths, and leisure mobilities, combining a range of qualitative and quantitative materials and research methods. Rye is currently leading the international comparative research project Global Labour in Rural Societies (Glarus).

Karen O'Reilly is Emeritus Professor of Sociology, at Loughborough University, and an Independent Research Academic. She has been researching migration since the early 1990s and is author of numerous books and articles including The British on the Costa del Sol, Ethnographic methods, and International Migration and Social Theory. She is currently co-investigator on the ESRC-funded project Brexit Brits Abroad, and is on the International Advisory Board of Glarus.

Reviews

"The global pandemic has painfully shown how international labour migration is essential to Europe's economy and food security. Indeed the role of migration in revitalizing rural communities in Europe and in keeping agriculture afloat cannot be overstated. This is a timely and much needed book that investigates the social and economic implications of international labour migration to Europe's rural regions from both empirical and analytical perspectives."

Anna Triandafyllidou, Ryerson University, Canada

"This is book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the phenomenon of internal rural migration in Europe, its diversity of local practices and similarity in outcomes for social groups, rural industries and rural societies across and within countries in Europe. It is the combination of empirically rich, in-depth case studies that portray the human element of migration with discussions of their significance against the background of labour market and migration theories and the specificity of the rural context that makes the book so particularly insightful."

Bettina Bock, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands

"In fourteen expertly-crafted chapters, this collection offers a historically-informed snapshot of the living and working conditions of people who migrate to rural areas of Europe and the US for agricultural work. Never flinching from sharp critical analysis of the racial capitalism that often seeks to divide workforces in order to weaken them, International Labour Migration to Europe's Rural Regions also engages with rural workers' responses to the multiple structures of oppression they face. This book could not be more timely. Emerging as it does during a pandemic that has seen agricultural workers finally gain recognition as 'key workers' it challenges the lie of 'unskilled work' and the stigma that often accompanies agricultural wage work."

Ben Rogaly, University of Sussex, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9780367900717
Author Johan Fredrik Rye
Format Hardback
Page Count 258
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g