Ancestral Return Migration and Second-Generation Greeks in Italy

This article contributes to the literature on return migration of second-generation immigrants. Based on fieldwork on Greek migrants in Italy, it does so by examining the potential for and the actual performance of counter-diasporic migration. The research findings show that emotional attachment and a general desire to return to the homeland characterize the second-generation diaspora Greeks in Italy, although the possibility of an actual return may be imaginary. Regarding the reasons for counter-diasporic migration, there are numerous pull factors, including a prominent emotional and symbolic attraction. Greek origins, the bonds of kinship, and the presence of a transnational network play an important role in strengthening the relationship with the homeland and in shaping a life project founded on a strong desire to return to their ancestral homeland. In this sense, counter-diasporic migration represents another element in the cyclical movement that characterizes the Greek Diaspora with the phenomenon discussed in this article, as the final and long-awaited return home.