Trajectories and Lives of Labor Migrants in Perspective: From Bolivia to Argentina and from Tajikstan to the Russian Federation

PIZARRO, CYNTHIA ALEJANDRA; RYAZANTSEV, SERGEY

Bolivian Labor Immigrants` Experiences in Argentina

Lexington Books

Año: 2016; p. 125 - 138

This chapter compares the trajectories and lives of workers who have migrated from Tajikistan to the Russian Federation and from Bolivia to Argentina. Class, racial and gender hierarchies traverse the circulation of these labor migrants across nation-state borders. Bolivian and Tajik migrants generally work in harsh conditions in labor niches intended for recent migrants. They are placed in the lowest strata of the social structure within the ethno-fragmentation of advanced capitalist societies. This allocation is usually justified by particular ethnic-racial criteria , which are synthesized in the idea that they are ?more suitable for? low skilled, badly paid and informal jobs.In the following, we will highlight some similarities and differences between the trajectories and lives of Tajik and Bolivian labor migrants. First, we will describe the socio-demographic features of both migratory flows. Then, we will analyze the trajectories of these laborers, focusing on their motivations, projects and decisions. Finally, we will concentrate in their daily lives, referring to the way in which their living and working conditions affect their family relations and prospects of future.