Transnational Family Life among Peruvian Migrants in Chile: Multiple Commitments and the Role of Social Remittances

Abstract

By looking at the case of Peruvian migration to Chile, this article explores some of the characteristics of the social reproduction of transnational families between two neighboring countries in the South. This article examines the role played by structural socio-economic conditions migrants live by in Chile in shaping their transnational family lives. It discusses how the labor and housing segmentations of migrants in Chile make family reunifications difficult so that geographical proximity between the two countries is not an enabling factor for the encounter of these families. It also examines some of the characteristics of this community of migrants in Chile, and how their class origin and gender help to understand the particular dynamics of these transnational families and the conjugal relationships migrants maintain in Peru and in Chile. The article focuses on the emotional experiences of Peruvian migrants in Chile and the efforts they invest in keeping their place within their families in Peru, through the material contributions to family livelihoods. The emotional significance of remittances are discussed, highlighting their role in filling the void in the sense of self of migrants which results from the painful distance between family members.