Civic action abroad. The transnational organizations of Tunisian migrants in Italy

Francesca Messineo is a PhD Student in the Department of Social Sciences and Economics (DISSE), Sapienza University of Rome. Her PhD project is titled “Partecipazione Civico-Politica Transnazionale. Un’Analisi delle Pratiche delle Organizzazioni dei Cittadini (di origine) Cilena e Tunisina in Italia”, and focuses on the transnational activism of migrant populations in relation to both their society of origin and of residence. She holds a MA in Global Studies from the University of Freiburg and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Bologna. Her main areas of interest are: International Migrations, Qualitative Methodologies, Political Sociology and Anthropology. Among her publications: «The 18-O Chilean Uprising and the Making of Transnational Political Identities» (Participation & Conflict, 2022, 15, 1, pp. 223-239). Adopting a transnational lens, this contribution focuses on the civic organizations of Tunisian immigrants in Italy. In the first place, it is important to clarify that migrants’ transnational practices not only address the context of origin, but also enable them to express their agency in the context of residence (Martiniello, Lafleur, 2008). Migrants’ multiple memberships (Bauböck, 2003) and ability to deploy action at different territorial scales (Østergaard-Nielsen, 2003) shape specific forms of collective action (Tarrow, 2005) and allow them to carry out activities in different scenes (Lichterman, Eliasoph, 2014). Therefore, a transnational perspective provides for an examination of the activities, strategies, and objectives of these organizations in relation to both contexts. Moving from the premise that all forms of public action have an implicit political connotation (Boccagni, 2012, Chaudhary, Moss, 2019) and that civil society activism cannot be disentangled from politics (Camau, 2002), the aim of this paper is to scrutinize the implications of these organizations’ political and civic action in the two territorial contexts to which they belong. This work is part of the author’s PhD research project, and the following considerations are based on the extensive review of the available literature (primarily related to the Tunisian civil society activism in France), first-hand observations, and 20 in-depth interviews (conducted between November 2021 and October 2022) with activists of Tunisian origin living in Italy, who have been selected through purposive sampling. On the one hand, the contribution discusses the relationship between the country of origin’s institutions and the Tunisian civil society organizations in Italy. Tunisian emigrants’ civic and political engagement have long been hampered by the extraterritorial reach of Ben Ali’s authoritarian government (Brand, 2002). At that time, Tunisian oversea associations were almost entirely coopted by the RCD (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Démocratique) single party, with exile organizations being the major relevant exception. This scenario rapidly changed following the so-called Arab Spring (2011), which resulted in the democratization of the Tunisian public sphere and the formation of countless civil society organizations both inside and outside the country (Mejri, 2015; Demesmay et al., 2017). The contribution therefore examines how Tunisian transnational civic organizations have interacted with transitional democratic institutions, including their successful lobbying strategies aimed at gaining a broader inclusion in the Tunisian political community (voting rights), the opportunities and the difficulties they have faced, as well as the current challenges caused by the authoritarian turn of the President Kais Saied. On the other hand, the contribution describes these organizations’ strategies and objectives in relation to the Italian context. Due to the socio-economic and discursive marginalization that impacts individuals with a migrant background – particularly those from Arab or predominantly Muslim countries – Tunisian civil society organizations in Italy are primarily concerned with the social integration of their co-nationals. This overreaching objective has two distinct dimensions. The first entails promoting intercultural exchanges and strengthening social relations with the local population. The main goal is thus to fight against the stigma imposed upon the Tunisian immigrants, and the target of these activities is the society as a whole. The second entails improving co-nationals’ material and social living conditions in order to prevent marginalization, help them integrating into the local milieu, and counter self-segregation tendencies. These activities target not only vulnerable and/or recently arrived migrants, but also young Tunisians on study visas and, notably, the so-called second generations. Consequently, the majority of these civil society organizations see themselves as intermediaries between the ‘community’ and Italian institutions. Despite this common goal, their action is fragmented along political and generational lines. The stratification of statuses (Morris, 2002) and plurality of identities make it difficult for this migrant population to take unitary action in the civic sphere of the country of residence. Overall, social actors conceptualize civic organizations in Italy as a ‘bridge’ between migrants, institutions and public opinion and, in the Tunisian context, as a force that controls and limits the power of the state. However, the political character of these activities is frequently denied by the subjects involved.