Regional commitment and political involvement amongst migrants in Lima: the case of regional associations

Abstract

The main aim of this thesis is to examine the formation, development and role of regional associations among rural-urban migrants in Lima, Peru. The analysis covers three interconnected contexts - the urban, the regional and the local. Emphasis is placed on a consideration of wider historical and politico-economic process which have led to differential patterns of regional and local development, and of how this has generated migration and the formation of migrant associations. The material for the thesis was collected in two contrasting Peruvian Highland regions and among their respective migrant groups in Lima. The study also presents a critical assessment of existing literature on regional associations. This critique is based on three main arguments: firstly, that regional associations cannot be studied merely as urban phenomena; secondly, that they cannot be analysed separately from the migration process; and thirdly, they cannot be explained simply in terms of adaptational functions or in isolation from the political arena. The methodological strategy adopted for exploring these issues is detailed case-studies of two associations and their regional and local connections .This is looked at both in terms of institutional relations, focusing on the part played by local village and barrio associations, and in terms of the types of interpersonal and familial exchanges occurring between village residents and migrants.