A home away from home: heritage, memory and identity in Latin American migrant communities of Santiago de Chile

Vial Lecaros, Ximena ORCID: 0000-0003-2257-5510 (2024). A home away from home: heritage, memory and identity in Latin American migrant communities of Santiago de Chile. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This dissertation constitutes a qualitative study that delves into the identities of migrants from a micro perspective, specifically focusing on working-class Latin Americans (originating from Venezuela, Haiti, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina) who have migrated to Chile over the last two decades. Through in-depth ethnographic interviews at home, participant observation, and unstructured interviews in the neighbourhoods of Santiago Centro and Estación Central, this research captures the intimate experience of identity, memory, and heritage construction among migrants. The findings of this project highlight the advantage of entering migrant homes and, simultaneously, connecting them with surrounding public spaces in order to understand how heritage, identity and memory are intertwined with their material culture. The study involves a comprehensive examination of migrant material culture as an expression of the constant ongoing process of creating and recreating individual and collective identity in the context of migration, revealing how memory and intangible heritage related to home and neighbourhood both differ and overlap, reflecting the identity of these groups. The results indicate that the ways in which migrants perceive themselves and their community are closely connected to movement, a phenomenon that transforms their identity before and during travel, setting it apart from that of their past home-country and of Chileans’. This transformation, influenced by movement, imbues migrant objects with new meanings while coexisting with the sense of permanence suggested by nostalgic memories of their geographical and historical past. Objects and rituals within the migrant home and neighbourhood unveil systems of value and identity amongst the migrants, contributing to the formation of their cultural heritage. This materiality also reveals the gender dimension that particularly affects migrant women, who experience high levels of sexualization in Chile, revealing specific exercises of memory and identity unique to the female migrant experience. Ultimately, the material culture of migrants within the neighbourhood and home—how it is shaped, the role it plays, and how it is mapped in a city like Santiago—provides insight into the negotiation of their identity and memory.

In parallel, this study also sheds light on the negotiation of Chilean identity. Chileans confront migrant materiality with nineteenth century narratives about whiteness, exoticizing and sexualizing new migrant arrivals in recent decades. Challenging these perspectives and foregrounding the practices and experiences of the migrants themselves, this thesis successfully elucidates specific rituals, objects and settings, such as the Noche de las velitas for the Colombian community, the consumption of coffee for Venezuelans, and role of the Los Paisas supermarket for migrants in general, as elements that serve as both the result and witness of the negotiation of memory and identity. By emphasising such points of convergence in migrant constructions of identity, the study likewise challenges conventional notions of memory confined to fixed locations and underscoring how memory serves as a consistent thread amid periods of change. The manner in which migrants navigate the intricate and frequently challenging dynamics of movement and border crossing significantly shapes their integration and overall welfare within the host society. The escalation of tensions between migrants and locals, due to a rise in criminality and cultural difference in discourses on the use of public space, gives rise to novel formulations of identity, impacting recollections of national narratives and community histories. Concurrently, this transformative process alters the local landscape, prompting a demand for rethinking social policies. This study emphasises the need for a profound comprehension of these identification processes, heritage construction, and memory in order for Chile to achieve a harmonious intercultural coexistence among its inhabitants.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):