A narrative analysis of the stories told by female foreign care workers in Bologna, Italy

Abstract

This thesis investigates the lived experience of economic migration of eleven female foreign care workers (FCWs) working in Bologna, Italy. The principal aim of the study is to examine how these women construct their experience of migrating through the stories they tell.

The methodology involves semi-structured interviews in which participants reflect on the migration process, their motivations for the move and the difficulties they faced once in Italy. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and then analysed.

In the first stage of analysis, similarities and differences in the narratives were identified in order to identify common themes. Subsequently, stories told in the interviews were identified. Positioning theory was employed to explore both what was said and the way in which it was said with close attention paid to the interactive nature of the stories and how they relate to wider societal discourses, especially those regarding care workers in Italy.

The findings of this study demonstrate that, even though each migration experience is different, the interviewees share awareness of certain discourses regarding both immigration in Italy and care workers in particular. Through positioning theory I demonstrate how the women resist certain negative discourses in order to alternatively position themselves as making agentive career choices. The findings are discussed with reference to the efficacy of this methodological approach and suggestions for future research.

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