Overview
My research in this area examines how states, international organizations, NGOs, and migrants themselves shape the governance of human mobility. Through long-term ethnographic fieldwork across Europe, Africa, and Asia, I explore how policies and humanitarian responses are implemented on the ground, how migrants experience them, and how mobility becomes entangled with aspirations for development, care, and social justice. This work spans humanitarian aid in transit and host societies, migration–development initiatives, and the shifting ethical and political landscapes that emerge around migration governance.
Key Themes
1. Migrant Humanitarianism in Transit and Host Societies
I study humanitarian assistance for and by migrants and asylum seekers across multiple countries (including Italy, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, and South Korea). This work documents how migrants navigate aid systems, how grassroots forms of support emerge, and how humanitarian actors adapt their practices in contexts where ethics of care, political tensions, and resource constraints constantly shift.
2. Migration, Homeland Development & the Role of Governance
I analyze how states and supra‑governmental institutions attempt to channel migration toward development outcomes in countries of origin. This includes examining policy frameworks, institutional programs, and the everyday practices through which migrants engage (or resist engagement) with these initiatives. My work compares experiences across Europe and Africa, bringing forward tensions between policy aspirations and lived realities.
3. Return Migration & Transnational Life Strategies
My earlier research focused on the aspirations, livelihoods, and identity-making practices of West African migrants, particularly Senegalese communities connected to Italy. Grounded in long-term fieldwork in both Europe and Senegal, this work highlights the multiple attachments, obligations, and forms of belonging that shape transnational lives, as well as the political and social repercussions of these ties in both home and host societies.
4. Bridging Research and Practice
Across migration and humanitarian settings, I have collaborated with EU institutions, UN agencies, governmental bodies, and international NGOs. My work involves conducting needs assessments, program evaluations, and facilitating intergovernmental dialogues. These engagements allow findings to inform policy and programming, while keeping migrant perspectives at the center.
I study humanitarian assistance for and by migrants and asylum seekers across multiple countries (including Italy, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, and South Korea). This work documents how migrants navigate aid systems, how grassroots forms of support emerge, and how humanitarian actors adapt their practices in contexts where ethics of care, political tensions, and resource constraints constantly shift.
2. Migration, Homeland Development & the Role of Governance
I analyze how states and supra‑governmental institutions attempt to channel migration toward development outcomes in countries of origin. This includes examining policy frameworks, institutional programs, and the everyday practices through which migrants engage (or resist engagement) with these initiatives. My work compares experiences across Europe and Africa, bringing forward tensions between policy aspirations and lived realities.
3. Return Migration & Transnational Life Strategies
My earlier research focused on the aspirations, livelihoods, and identity-making practices of West African migrants, particularly Senegalese communities connected to Italy. Grounded in long-term fieldwork in both Europe and Senegal, this work highlights the multiple attachments, obligations, and forms of belonging that shape transnational lives, as well as the political and social repercussions of these ties in both home and host societies.
4. Bridging Research and Practice
Across migration and humanitarian settings, I have collaborated with EU institutions, UN agencies, governmental bodies, and international NGOs. My work involves conducting needs assessments, program evaluations, and facilitating intergovernmental dialogues. These engagements allow findings to inform policy and programming, while keeping migrant perspectives at the center.
Selected Current & Past Projects
Migration Humanitarianism in Europe and Beyond (2015-ongoing)
This research investigates how humanitarian aid is delivered in different migration contexts and how migrants themselves contribute to forms of support and activism. Fieldwork locations include Italy, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, and South Korea.
This research investigates how humanitarian aid is delivered in different migration contexts and how migrants themselves contribute to forms of support and activism. Fieldwork locations include Italy, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, and South Korea.
Migration, Development & Governance Initiatives
Drawing on consultancy work and academic collaborations, I study policy programmes designed to link migration to development, analyzing institutional agendas, migrant engagement, and the social implications of these interventions across Europe and Africa.
Drawing on consultancy work and academic collaborations, I study policy programmes designed to link migration to development, analyzing institutional agendas, migrant engagement, and the social implications of these interventions across Europe and Africa.
West African Transnational Migrants
Originating in my PhD research, this project examines identity, mobility, and connection among Senegalese migrants to Italy, and the effects of their transnational ties on communities in both locations.
Originating in my PhD research, this project examines identity, mobility, and connection among Senegalese migrants to Italy, and the effects of their transnational ties on communities in both locations.
Why This Work Matters
In the fields of migration and humanitarian governance, policy debates often emphasize metrics, security framings, or economic outcomes. My research brings attention back to people—their aspirations, relationships, vulnerabilities, and strategies for navigating systems that profoundly shape their lives. By documenting how policies and humanitarian responses unfold in practice, I aim to support more equitable, grounded, and context‑sensitive approaches to mobility governance.
Photo: Giulia Sinatti, Dakar (Senegal) 2007