Integration and exclusion of recent colombian immigrants in Santiago de Chile: socioeconomic stratum and 'race' in the geoculture of world-system

Abstract

espanolEl articulo explora el proceso de integracion de los inmigrantes colombianos en Santiago de Chile. La conclusion es que hay importantes diferencias en la integracion de los diferentes grupos socioeconomicos y “raciales” de inmigrantes, particularmente los inmigrantes afrodescendientes se ven expuestos a situaciones de discriminacion racial. Dado que en Chile la poblacion afro-descendiente es de reciente llegada, el racismo hacia ellos debe explicarse contextualizando la “cultura nacional” en la geocultura del sistema-mundo, que contiene una jerarquizacion racial conformada en la epoca colonial para dar fundamento a su division racial del trabajo. En este marco son recibidos los inmigrantes en Chile, pais imbuido en esta geocultura colonialista y eurocentrica que explica el trato diferenciado dado a los distintos colectivos de inmigrantes. EnglishThe article explores the process of integration of Colombian immigrants in Santiago of Chile. The conclusion is that there are important differences in the integration of the different socioeco-nomic and “racial” groups of immigrants, in particular afrodescendant immigrants are exposed to situations of racial discrimination. Given that the afrodescendant population in Chile is newly arrived, racism against them must be explained contextualizing the “national culture” in the geo-culture of the world-system, that contains a racial hierarchy shaped in the colonial era to support its racial division of labor. In this context, immigrants are received in Chile, a country imbued in this colonialist and eurocentric geoculture that explains the differential treatment given to the different immigrant groups.