The transformation of UK Chilean diaspora space: new Chilean migrants and encounters across time

Abstract

AbstractThe Chilean diaspora space in the United Kingdom has been transformed over its 50‐year existence. From its origins as a diaspora born of political conflict and the arrival of Chilean exiles during the dictatorship, it has evolved into an altogether more diverse arena. New migrants with different interests and agendas have unsettled the delicate balance of exile life, and the impact of the clash of different histories in this diaspora space remains unknown. Although the experience of Chilean exiles has been actively studied, new empirical data introduces the existence of a much broader diaspora than that portrayed in the literature. The UK space of the Chilean diaspora has been radically altered through the diverse interests that the new cohorts bring and the organizations that reflect these new forms of interaction, as well as the divisive issues of past and present conflict that highlight the unresolved nature of the long‐term experience of exile.