Realidades y visiones del exilio uruguayo en España

Abstract

RESUMEN: El presente artículo se centra en un tipo de migración, la emigración forzada por motivaciones políticas o exilio; concretamente el exilio sufrido por una importante porción de la población uruguaya a mediados de la década de 1970 en un espacio concreto: España. Esta lectura se realiza desde dos ópticas diferentes pero complementarias, una es desde la bibliografía y la otra desde la presencia de los exiliados en diferentes espacios geográficos y de representación. Para ello se utilizan informaciones provenientes de una profundización en los testimonios de los exiliados-hoy residentes o retornados-y el análisis de la documentación de diferentes archivos particulares y distintas organizaciones políticas y sindicales.

Building bridges of various sorts: Old and new migrant transnationalism among Uruguayans in Spain

“…In addition, political exiles' engagements were facilitated by solidarity and support from Spanish political parties, local authorities and other institutions in the 1970s. An asylum regime was not in place yet, but regulations were relatively flexible and facilitated access to legal residency and citizenship (Coraza de los Santos, 2003, 86–89). For some, fostering a bridge between home and host contexts was also a form of making sense of their personal experience, that is, to deal with the issue of feeling torn between two cultures.…”

“…Associations' trajectories show a movement away from political engagements in this century. Politics was clearly present in the political exiles' engagements to defend human rights and democratic practices (Coraza de los Santos, 2003). Politics may still be implicitly reflected in the values they uphold (e.g., citizens' rights, equality, solidarity) and, therefore, the type of artistic products or performances they promote (e.g., book series or films on collective memory).…”

Redrawing the Contours of the Nation-State in Uruguay? The Vicissitudes of Emigration Policy in the 2000s

“…The Frente Amplio (Broad Front, a coalition of socialist, communist, Christian‐democratic, and independent parties) won with 50.4 percent of the votes, thus avoiding a ballotage and making evident that just less than 1 percent may make a difference. The outcome illustrates the relevance of emigrants' heterogeneous profile: Migrant activism was the result of intensive collaborative work by international networks of individuals and migrant associations to facilitate and finance the trips; a good number of members of these associations were former political exiles who had been involved in politics for long and supported parties within the Frente (Coraza de los Santos , 90–91, 96–97), while others were younger, recent emigrants. The effort received wide media coverage, which increased the visibility of the emigrant community, generated some public debate, and pushed migration up in the political agenda.…”

“…Only recently, new flows of immigration from neighboring countries and return migration have been observed, though of uncertain magnitude and not documented in the statistics yet . Although loss of human capital has been a concern, some reviews of the literature show that these concerns did not go beyond denouncing the problem, they did not lead to further elaboration of diagnosis and solutions, and, overall, the problem was minimized or forgotten (Aguiar , 23–24; Coraza de los Santos ).…”

“… Merklen () ably explains the tensions, ruptures, and complex adaptations of Uruguayan exiles in France, as well as the compromises made to integrate in the receiving society, to justify allegiance and belonging to a country that expelled them, and to make sense of the constant transformation of their individual and national identities. Coraza de los Santos () offers a parallel study of Uruguayans political exiles in Spain. …”