Acceso usuarios
Katy Luz Millán Otero
En los últimos años, la migración venezolana ha capturado la atención global como uno de los fenómenos más significativos y complejos del siglo XXI. El éxodo masivo de ciudadanos venezolanos de su país de origen ha generado una serie de desafíos políticos, económicos y humanitarios tanto para Venezuela como para las naciones receptoras. El objetivo de la investigación fue conocer el proceso de apego e identidad al lugar de los migrantes venezolanos residentes en la ciudad de Medellín, Colombia. La investigación fue cualitativa, enmarcada en el método estudio de caso. Los resultados evidenciaron que, si bien el apego y la identidad son categorías parecidas, se deben analizar de forma independiente. Los migrantes pueden desarrollar el apego al lugar –esto es, un vínculo afectivo por el espacio– y desear permanecer en él porque se sienten cómodos y seguros. Las redes de apoyo personales e institucionales y las similitudes geográficas y culturales entre ambos países son factores que inciden fuertemente en la vinculación positiva con el entorno. No obstante, la identidad al lugar se complejiza por la condición de migrante que contribuye a que el sujeto se sienta como extranjero en todo momento y las conductas de discriminación y xenofobia, por parte de los colombianos, obstaculizan la pertenencia al nuevo lugar de llegada. Esto sugiere que, a pesar de desarrollar un apego al lugar, los migrantes enfrentan barreras sociales y psicológicas que limitan su capacidad para establecer una identidad arraigada en su lugar de residencia.
In the global panorama of the 21st century, migration has emerged as a phenomenon of profound socioeconomic, political and humanitarian relevance. Within this context, Venezuelan migration has acquired outstanding visibility due to its magnitude, complexity and multiple implications. The massive exodus of Venezuelan citizens from their country of origin has had a significant impact on both Venezuela and the countries receiving this migration. In particular, Colombia has been one of the most prominent destinations for Venezuelan migrants, presenting a series of challenges and opportunities for both migrants and the receiving society.
Venezuelan migration to Colombia has been characterized by its multifaceted nature and its cross-cutting consequences in various aspects of contemporary life. In the socioeconomic sphere, the arrival of large numbers of migrants has raised crucial questions about the labor market, economic inclusion and employment dynamics for both the migrants themselves and the local population. In addition, migration has impacted cultural perceptions and coexistence in receiving communities, generating reflections on diversity, interculturality and the construction of identities in contexts of human mobility. Although migration is a phenomenon that crosses current societies, research on the subject tends to ignore the relationships that the subject establishes with the environment and that affect his or her identity, social ties and even life project. The objective of the research was to learn about the process of attachment and identity to the place of Venezuelan migrants residing in the city of Medellin, Colombia. The research was qualitative, framed in the case study method. Environmental psychology was used as a conceptual reference to understand the relationships of the participants with the natural and built environment. The results showed that, although attachment and identity are similar categories, they should be analyzed independently; thus the trajectories followed by migrants, once they leave their country of origin, are often stressful because they place the subject at the margin or on the threshold of society. This is a state of social liminality or psychologically stressful transitional phase in the face of mobility from one country to another. Migrants may develop place attachment, i.e., an affective bond for the space, and wish to remain in it because they feel comfortable and safe. Personal and institutional support networks and the geographic and cultural similarities between the two countries are factors that strongly influence positive attachment to the environment. However, the identity to the place is complicated by the migrant condition that contributes to the subject feeling as a foreigner at all times and the xenophobic discrimination behaviors, by Colombians, hinder belonging to the new place of arrival. This suggests that, despite developing an attachment to place, migrants face social and psychological barriers that limit their ability to establish an identity rooted in their place of residence. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the migrant experience and may have important implications for the formulation of integration policies and programs in similar contexts.
