Browsing by Author "Salminen, Sini"

This thesis focuses on the migration of an indigenous Zapotec group from the town of Teotitlán del Valle, located in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The characteristics and patterns of Teotiteco migration are described and analysed. Furthermore, the possibility of migration transformations is discussed. The community’s social structure, together with communal practises, is portrayed as affecting the patterns of Teotiteco migration. On the other hand, how migration may have an effect on these defining social and cultural practises is also discussed. The research questions are: What are the migration patterns of Teotitecos like? How do transborder processes come to play in this context? What are the outcomes of migration for migrants and for communal life? Futhermore, to what extent can 'migration transformations' be detected and analysed in this context? The data for this thesis was gathered during a three-month fieldwork in the town of Teotitlán de Valle. Data consists mainly of thematic interviews and participant observation. Official state electoral documents are also used in the analysis. The theoretical framework of the thesis is constructed upon theories of transnationalism and transborder processes, together with theories of (kin) relations. A meso level of migration analysis is favored and the relational approach to migration (by Thomas Faist, 2000) applied. The analysis demonstrates how socio-economic factors, regional and global dynamics and cultural practices related to migration affect migration patterns of Teotitecos, and especially how these patterns of migration are maintained through (kin) relations. The analysis can be divided into three parts. Firstly, the characteristics of Teotiteco migration are indicated. Teotiteco migration is portrayed as life-cycle related and gendered. Secondly, migraton patterns are detected and the continuity of these patterns is attributed to the maintenance of relations between migrants and their kin, and more broadly between the places of emigration and destination. Thirdly, the possibility of migration transformations is discussed and the mechanisms of possible changes are found to be intricate and complex. Changes in migrant belonging and the questions of community membership and citizenship are discovered to be negotiated in multiple political and cultural contexts. The results of the study demonstrate that in order to understand patterns of migration, the historical and social contexts, together with communal and cultural practices need to be examined.Transformation and change can only occur through the interplay of migrants and other actors, and locales of emigration and destination. By studying relations the implications and changes linked to migration can be better grasped. Examining migration patterns and the relations relating to these patterns can provide insight to how different communities deal with change and uncertainty. The study concludes that relations make up migration patterns and at the same time act as measures to maintain these patterns.