Dreams of Development in Mexico and Spain: A Comparative History of Guestworkers and Migration Diplomacy
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: This history of Cold War-era migration policy compares two emblematic guestworker programs that recruited several million Mexican and Spanish migrants to labor in the United States and Germany. Proponents of the bilateral accords defended them as diplomatic achievements that secured contractual labor rights, improved foreign relations, and sent migrants home with savings and skills to achieve the diverse development goals of the sending states. The study traces the programs’ historical and ideological roots, juxtaposes the guestworkers’ experiences, and uses the cases of Mexicanbracerosand Spanishgastarbeiterto explore the contested nexus between migration and development.
Author: Michael David Snodgrass
Institution: Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
Language: English
Topic: Migration and Labor Dynamics
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4223947677