Abstract

This article aims to provide an introduction to the whole Symposium, by analysing different trajectories of immigration outside gateways, focusing then on small towns, and defining specific scalar positions of small-scale urban contexts. Starting from a literature review and an analysis of European data, the authors aim to explain why immigration outside traditional gateways is selectively gaining momentum in different Western countries. Last, they will question what specific social, political, and economic incorporation is taking place in these new destinations.