Who Feels Safe? Uncertain Futures and Enduring Aspirations in Italy

In an attempt of going beyond a simple opposition between those conceived as agents and those seen as subjects of disciplinary power, this article engages with a reflection on differential states of precariousness and (un)safety, which involve both "forced migrants" and "citizens". Drawing on ethnographic research in Milan (Italy), I outline some recent institutional changes in the Italian asylum system, which led to the political abandonment of refugees in situations of increasing marginalisation, but also to the layoff of several frontline asylum work-ers, who were often young people hit by the consequences ofeconomic recession. Through the words and biographical trajectories of three young women (two asylum workers and one refugee), I trace the emergence of contested temporal and work experiences, marked by widespread feelings of uncertainty and devaluation. I approach empirically the idea of (un)safety asa material and bodily condition and as an emotional state,directly linked to the perceived possibility of being able to orient oneself towards the future. By zooming in on differential experiences of (un)safety and precariousness – but also onenduring aspirations – I aim at documenting the material andaffective entanglements of acts of government, as well as their inherent potential for empowerment and transformation.