“Somos el muro”
This project seeks to explore the influence of shifting migration and settlement patterns on the cultural and economic dynamics of border communities in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Changes to US and Mexican immigration policy are having dramatic, visible effects on the lived experience of asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants fleeing desperate conditions in their home countries as well as on receiving communities. Chiapas has a layered history of oppression, classism, independence and revolution as indigenous groups, “ladinos”, tourists, migrants and refugees, have lived and clashed over rights, entitlements, freedom, land and fair representation over generations. The unprecedented level of arrival of migrant caravans is exacerbating an already tenuous situation, as all groups navigate a cultural ecosystem that is unfamiliar to some, and all too familiar to others.
Background
The experience of migrants and receiving communities along the southern border of Mexico is transforming. Since the most recent wave of migrant caravans began to arrive in Mexico in October 2018, public perceptions of migrants have gone from sympathetic to and even intolerant. As more and more people from diverse cultures, races, ethnicities and backgrounds cross this porous border from countries spanning the globe, mounting tensions between receiving communities and migrants are clearly visible. This influx has been exacerbating tensions that already exist in a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic region that has limited economic opportunities, limited arable land and a persistent history of disputes over territory, representation and livelihoods.
Chiapas is home to 13.5% of Mexico’s indigenous population (INAFED 2011) and there are an estimated 56 linguistic groups. Internal migration has been a persistent part of culture in Chiapas, with many groups traveling seasonally for work to harvest coffee, cacao, and tobacco among other cash crops - what happens when their land is gone when they get home? This complex social microcosm has experienced constant clashes between the forces of globalization, migration and the preservation of local customs, ways of life, and autonomy and it is currently at an important point of transition.
The borderland in Chiapas is an area with weak institutional oversight, and the general sense is that many zones seem to be “ungovernable”. There have been new multi-ethnic communities forming, and the socio-cultural implications of this needs to be documented and studied. We believe the way to bridge the divide between cultures will need to have strong roots in storytelling and cultural exchange to create more empathetic narratives.
The main goal of this project is to humanize the experience of migrants and receiving communities alike, by highlighting stories of resilience. We plan to situate stories within their broader context, and attempt to create opportunities for reflection and exchange between groups, that may reduce stigma around the migratory experience and help to facilitate integration of communities.
