My Brother the “Other”: Use of Satire and Boundary‐Making by Venezuelan Migrants in Peru

Abstract

While the criminalization and hyper‐sexualization of Venezuelanmigrants and refugees across South America have received growing scholarly attention, fairly little is known about the coping strategies of migrants in this context. In this article, we build on quantitative and qualitative data from a survey (N = 100), 72 in‐depth interviews, and five focus groups with Venezuelan immigrants in five Peruvian cities, collected between 2018 and 2020, to explore how they make sense of, and react to, negative shifts in public opinion on immigration and the criminalization of Venezuelan nationals. We identify two broad coping mechanisms: (a) opposition to their criminalization, including its satirical ridiculing, and (b) intra‐group boundary‐making and “othering.” Our findings make an important contribution to the literature on migrant responses to criminalization and intra‐group relations in the Global South.

El derecho a la protección legal, políticia y humanitaria, frente a la migración venezolana en el Perú ́

“…En cuantro a la criminalización y la hipersexualización de los migrantes y refugiados venezolanos en América del Sur (Pérez and Feline Freier, 2022). No existe estrateguias para afrontar a los migrantes en ese contexto.…”

Familias transnacionales en contexto de crisis. Movilidad y (no) arreglos familiares de venezolanos en Perú

“…A esto se suman los prejuicios exacerbados por los medios de comunicación y los discursos políticos, que generan problemas de discriminación y xenofobia hacia la población ve-nezolana en este país (Cañizález y Jiménez, 2023;Domínguez Chenguayen et al, 2021;Freier y Pérez, 2021) . Muchos migrantes venezolanos buscan resistir a esta "criminalización" en su contra mediante un discurso que establece una distancia y condena moral hacia los miembros de su comunidad nacional acusados de actos delictivos (Pérez y Freier, 2022a). También se observa una actitud empática entre los migrantes, manifestada a través de formas de asistencia, preocupación y sugerencias para mejorar las condiciones de vida (Acuña-Choque et al, 2023).…”

“Violence Across Borders: Venezuelan Women and the Continuum of Violence in Migration and Settlement”

“…From this stigmatization, they are often blamed for importing HIV and sexually transmitted infections which have increased their likelihood of experiencing violence-as well as the inability to feel welcomed. Pérez and Freier (2022) state that stigma can influence how 'racialized others' are treated. For Venezuelans in particular, this stigma is based on perceptions of promiscuity and 'immoral' sexual behaviors attributed to Venezuelan women.…”