Migrants’ housing in the homeland. A case study of the impact of migration on a rural community: the village of Marginea, Romania

International migration induces changes in values and lifestyles, transformations perceived as well in housing practices and living standards. Building and decorating a home is one of migrants’ main targets, as the house becomes a sign of wealth and social ascension that mobilizes a significant proportion of their remittances. This article aims to show how the migrants’ “debrouillard” spirit and their migration experience acquired during the communist regime helped them in wheeling and dealing under the new post-communist economy and build their houses in the homeland. The paper relies on data collected in fieldwork carried out in the village of Marginea, Romania, a rural community comprising ca. 10.500 people, characterized by strong international migration.