Towards an understanding of the migratory processes of Colombian women living in Chile

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to reflect on how migratory and gender studies can contribute to the understanding of the migratory processes of Colombian women to Chile. To do this, we have carried out a review of the scientific research that addresses this issue, in order to establish what the main results and methodologies used by these studies have been. Among the main findings, we find that these investigations have underestimated the place of the Colombian internal armed conflict, as a constitutive element of this migration, and that the emphasis has been placed, mainly, on the understanding of racism and acculturation experiences lived in Chile. In this sense, we propose that the transnational approach to migration and gender can contribute to deepen the theoretical and empirical understanding of these migrations, as well as to highlight the ways in which the internal armed conflict configures the trajectories of Colombian migrants to Chile.