Understanding Mobility in the Enlarged European Union: Romanian Immigrant Discourses in Spain

Abstract

The article discusses the process of understanding the mobility of Romanian
citizens in Spain. The analysis proposes three levels of analysis in order to
fi nd answers to three research questions: how the immigrants negotiate their
mobility; what their experiences of mobility are; and how they understand this
process. This study was carried out using the qualitative method of in-depth
interviews, which were conducted both at origin and at destination. The
analysis is organized into three levels: negotiation is linked to practical
considerations; mobility experiences are accompanied by partial return; and
understanding of the migration process is refl ected in the sense of fl exible
identity. The levels of analysis interact and help fi nd ways to assimilate
mobility and the creation of the mobile citizen in the European framework.