Return Migration to La Sierra Norte : Experiences and Negotiations of Identity of Oaxacan Transnational Migrants

Abstract

Return migration is an important phenomenon that affects migrants and their receiving and sending communities. This Senior Individualized Project (SIP) examines qualitative data on the experience of identity and sense of belonging of thirteen Oaxacan migrants who have recently returned to their communities in Mexico after living in the United States. According to Marcelo Suarez Orozco, the wave of migration of immigrants of color is a growing topic of study that is at the heart of sociocultural consequences of immigration. Therefore, this SIP presents information on a marginalized group of migrants of color who are part of the culture of migration in the U.S. and Mexico: Oaxacan return migrants. What factors led Oaxacan migrants to return? What are the implications of return on the individual and their community of origin? Some themes that emerge from the personal narratives of Oaxacans include the effects the family, social networks and immigration status have on voluntary return. These findings are important because they suggest that patterns exist in the experience of return migrants to Mexico.