After the NGO departure: changing memory strategies of young Mayan refugees who returned to Guatemala as a community

The collective return of refugees to their country of origin is a challenge for youths who have spent most of their lives in exile. In 1996, a research project concerning young Mayan refugees who returned from Mexico to Guatemala in 1993 suggested that international aid and non-governmental organiza...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anthropology & medicine 2005-04, Vol.12 (1), p.1-19
Main Authors: de la Aldea, Elena, Foxen, Patricia, Rojas, Musuk Viger, Rousseau, Cecile
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Guatemala
International aid agencies
Maya Indian people
Memories
Nongovernmental organizations
Refugees
Return migration
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Summary:The collective return of refugees to their country of origin is a challenge for youths who have spent most of their lives in exile. In 1996, a research project concerning young Mayan refugees who returned from Mexico to Guatemala in 1993 suggested that international aid and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) influenced the memory strategies chosen by the young returnees, and shaped their narratives about the past. The aim of the present article is to examine the evolution of these youths' memory strategies three years later, following the departure of most NGOs from the community, and to analyse the influence of this departure on their memory strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 returnee youths aged 18-25 to document the transformation of the representations and expectations of the homecoming. To complement these narratives the subjects' imaginary world was explored through TAT plates. (Original abstract)
ISSN:1364-8470