Work

Unravelling stories of pro-rural migration: From the pre-migration context to the post-migration experience

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In line with a conceptualisation of pro-rural migration as an open-ended process that extends to the post-migration experience, this paper explores how pro-rural migrants elaborate the decision to move to a rural place, how they initiate their relocation and how they experience life in the new place. To do this, the paper analyses the narratives of pro-rural migrants regarding their migration process in two different contexts of rurality in Spain: the region of Castilla y León and a coastal area in Andalusia. Thus, the paper reconstructs migrants' narratives by connecting the pre-migration context with the post-migration experience. The paper reflects how pro-rural migration, and the post-migration experience can play different roles in migrants' lives, depending on their contextuality. In our case: an old dream, the unexpected, salvation and the search for a way of life. By identifying the differences and common elements, the paper contributes to a fuller comprehension of pro-rural migration as a dynamic process and to a better understanding of the meanings of counter-urbanisation.

Source: Habitat International

DOI: 10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103328

Author: María Jesús Rivera

Institutions: Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA), Instituto de Investigación Social Avanzada

Language: English

Topic: Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,560

Funder: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad