Milano Rogoredo open drug scene: between context and practices
Author: Sonia Bergamo, sonia.bergamo@unimib.it
Department: Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale
University: Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Italy
Supervisor: Sonia Stefanizzi
Year of completion: 2021
Language of dissertation: Italian
Keywords:
open drug scene
, ethnography
, urban segregation
, drugs
Areas of Research:
Risk and Uncertainty
, Regional and Urban Development
, Logic and Methodology
Abstract
Purpose: In most recent drug research, context is still treated as a product of broad structural processes, reducing the chances for a more finely-grained understanding of time and place of consumption. At the time of the field work, Milano Rogoredo was the biggest urban open drug scene (ODS) in northern Italy. Starting from this case study, the goal of the present work is to document how the specific context is produced through the activity of drug use and how the so constructed context intervenes in the modulation of drug use itself.
Methodology: In the research, the case study methodology is implied in order to collect and put into dialogue data of different nature. Analysis was conducted through an ethnographic approach which includes in-depth and semi-structured interviews (42), participant observation (70 days), news articles and use of maps and photos. Drawing on a post-structural theoretical framework, the methodology is based on the analytical elements proposed by Duff (2007): space, embodiment and practices.
Findings: Drug use practices embedded in the Milano Rogoredo open drug scene impact on space representations creating a place of resistance in the narcotic city. The so-called drug related nuisance tends to result in a claim for social and spatial purification from citizens. The resistance zone that develops within the open drug scene allows the emergence of community bonds and fosters the spread of drug use practices that involve specific skills. The social object of the syringe reproduces social worlds, social divisions and generational differences. Violence permeates the every-day routines and practices which include drug related sex work and beggary. The lack of structured harm reduction interventions reduces the space to negotiate this violence.
Research limitations/implications: The results are specific of the context in which the study was conducted. Contacts and data were mainly gained starting from harm reduction interventions, since these organisations provide the most accessible contact with drug users. Given the recruitment strategy adopted, individuals who are part of the study cannot be considered as representative of the drug-using population as a whole.
Value/practical implications: Despite a wide international literature, Italy shows a lack of sociological accounts of open drug scenes, particularly regarding the impact of context on local drug use practices. This research gives visibility to the effect of the local setting on drug use practices in a long-lasting ODS in Milan (Italy). In the effort to make interventions always more effective, results can orient harm reduction strategies and provide initial evidence on the impact of institutional measures to face ODS. Along with punctual aspects, outcomes can also orient future research on drug consumption practices and context relevance in drug use settings.
