Visual Economy of Migration: Nostalgia, Community and Video in the South of Puebla, México

Abstract

This paper analyses home-made videos recording private celebrations, 'patronate' and 'by request' holidays, as objects produced and consumed within a migratory circuit between Axutla, Puebla, Mexico, and Passaic, New Jersey, United States. The central argument is that videos are a tool of nostalgia and belonging that strengthens collective identity and ties with the hometown. Focusing on a case study in Axutla, Puebla, a town in the south of the Mexican state of Puebla; this paper shows how videos are part of a visual economy of migration that encourages senses of community and affective bonds in families. Likewise, using as example private event films, it is argued that videos are crucial for the formation of businesses dedicated to entertainment. Finally, sensorial and technological resources of videos are highlighted as detonators of experiences and subjectivities influencing the formation of structures of feeling about the meaning of community in migratory contexts.