Refugee settlement and the revival of local communities: Lessons from the Riace model

Abstract

The high influx of migrants and refugees into Italy since the 1990s has resulted, firstly, in a complicated and emergency-based reception system where facilities often lack sanitary and socio-economic services, and secondly, in a negative public attitude toward refugees. An innovative approach to address these challenges, while at the same time combatting poverty and mafia in a depopulated area, was developed in Riace, a town in southern Italy. The purpose of this article is to examine to what extent Riace’s reception programme: (1) supported the successful settlement of refugees; and (2) affected the local community and the attitude of the local population towards newcomers. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2015 and 2017, this article discusses ‘the Riace model’: an approach whereby original inhabitants and refugees are together responsible for community development. This promoted refugees’ socio-economic inclusion and created a supportive attitude towards migrants amongst locals who are proud of their hospitality. The Riace model and the way in which it is embedded in a national reception system can serve as an example to other European countries. However, there are also future challenges that relate to insecurity around the continuation ofgovernment funding and competition over local opportunities.