Being a Fulbright Scholar means forging relationships abroad. For Anne Schiller, it also means studying relationships among people who decide to move to new lands.
Schiller, an anthropology professor at George Mason University, is spending the spring 2016 semester at the University of Salento, in Lecce, Puglia, the heel of the geographical “boot” of Italy.
As a Fulbright-Fondazione CON IL SUD Scholar—“con Il Sud” implies solidarity “with the south” —Schiller is conducting research on lifestyle migrants and the communities they build in the region.
She’ll be studying the reasons why people visit Puglia, why they decide to move there permanently and what their social networks are like. She will also teach at the University of Salento.
Puglia, a sub-peninsula along the blue-green waters of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, is getting growing attention for its breathtaking natural beauty, rich local culture and ornate style of baroque architecture. It’s clear the region has growing infrastructure to support tourism and the phenomenon some are calling “lifestyle migration,” Schiller explained.
“Several English-language social media sites have been launched by lifestyle migrants to provide information about the region to other potential in-comers,” Schiller said.
These migrants are often British, American, German or Australian, many choosing to live in villages and small towns like Alberobello.
Unlike refugees or asylum seekers, lifestyle migrants make a conscious choice to begin an entirely different life in a foreign country. Such a move demands some degree of participation in broader society. Schiller said her research will address the degree to which lifestyle migrants seek to integrate into the native community.
“Understanding why lifestyle migrants choose to become residents in a foreign land, what happens when they arrive at their destination, how initial expectations may be altered and managed, and the role of social networks in whether their migration is successful has significant practical applications that can contribute to civic, social and economic development in Italy and elsewhere,” she said.
Schiller is set to return to Mason in the fall and will continue her fieldwork next summer.