Work

Chiapas' delayed entry into the international labour market: a story of peasant isolation, exploitation, and coercion

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: This manuscript presents a synthetic view of Chiapas' migration history over the last century through a thorough examination of relevant English and Spanish-language literature sources. Unlike most Mexican states, Chiapas did not heavily rely upon migration, especially international migration, as an economic strategy until very recently. The reasons that underlie Chiapas' late adoption of economic migration include socio-political and economic structural factors that shaped rural and agrarian policy and demographic trends. This paper evaluates these structural factors with regards to several migration theories to assist our understanding of how and why Chiapans were prevented or discouraged from leaving their native communities. The paper concludes by detailing the perfect cascade of climatic, demographic, economic and political factors that ultimately forced Chiapans to resort to international migration as a major economic diversification strategy.

Source: Migration and Development

DOI: 10.1080/21632324.2013.766552

Authors: Jason Davis, Hallie Eakin

Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Arizona State University

Language: English

Topic: Migration and Labor Dynamics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funders: Central South University, National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development