Disparate Pathways of the Guatemalan Diaspora: Second Generation K’iche’ Maya Youth

• In Event: Guatemala: Settler Colonial Relations, Displacement and Survival

Abstract

Over thirty years ago, a small number of K’iche’ Maya from the Southern Quiché area of Guatemala left their war-torn communities to settle in the inner-city neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island. Throughout the 1990's, the migration accelerated rapidly as transnational routes and networks became more sophisticated and the demand for low-wage labor in New England factories and fisheries beckoned. The children of immigrants who arrived during this period—some brought with their parents from Guatemala, many born in the US, yet others arriving at later ages to reunited with family members—have, over the past 20 years, followed disparate paths. In the US, most have attended public schools, some achieving successful post-secondary programs and career paths, while others have been unable to move far beyond the low-wage work of their parents. A number of US-born youth have been able to return to Guatemala, wishing to connect with their community and culture of origin. Others—who are undocumented or have DACA-status—are more limited, living liminal lives as they strive toward survival and success in a highly precarious landscape. Back in Guatemala, some youth continue to view el Norte as a beacon of hope—often becoming unaccompanied minors who may or may not stay in the US—while others remain in their communities, taking pride in their Maya roots and forging educational and career opportunities there. Fragmented youth identities are often conjoined in common spaces through social media and, to some extent, the transnational bonds maintained by their parents.

Author

• Patricia Foxen, UnidosUS