Migration, intercultural experiences and rootedness: Venezuelan and Colombian residents in Santiago de Chile (2017-2022)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to understand the processes of incorporation and rooted-ness of South American migrants in Santiago de Chile, in the context of South-South mobility. The analysis is based on qualitative research conducted between 2017 and 2022, on the Colombian and Venezuelan collectives, according to two issues: i. Settlement; and ii. Evaluation of imaginaries of the future. It is concluded that Colombians have a memory of violence due to the armed conflict and the unfinished peace process in their country, which makes them feel a sense of staying in Chile; and Venezuelans have a feeling of living in a state of transience and nostalgia that generates ambivalence about settling in Chile. Furthermore, in the last three years (in the context of the political crisis and pandemic), Venezuelans have experienced an internal stratification and a dispute of imaginaries in their coexistence with the Chilean population, as well as the consolidation of an ethnic enclave in the commune of Santiago.