Politicide and Exile: The Relationship between Political Violence and Migration Flows

Leydy Diossa-Jimenez, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

This paper presents a comparative analysis of how political violence affected the emigration of Argentines and Colombians. While recent research has emphasized the importance of studying the connection between violence and migration, there is limited research on how different patterns of violence impact the politicization or depoliticization of emigrants. I focus on the political repression in Argentina and Colombia during the 1970s and 1980s, respectively, to examine how political violence had distinct effects on the political organization of emigrants from each country. In Argentina, political repression affected a wide range of political organizations, including traditional parties and civil society. In contrast, in Colombia, state-sponsored violence primarily targeted emerging left-wing political parties. These differing effects resulted in contrasting outcomes for the configuration of the exile. In Argentina, political violence was widespread, leading to a large and politically diverse exile. In Colombia, political violence was targeted, resulting in a virtually inexistent exile.

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 Presented in Session 199. Violence and Politics