Roots and branches to the wind: Colombian migration experiences and information practices

Abstract

This article presents the findings in Colombia of a larger study that explores the information practices (search, use and distribution of information) of Latino migrants, particularly those who are undocumented, in three different contexts: on the border between Mexico and EE.UU., in Seattle, Washington and in Cali, Colombia. In the Colombian context, participants’ migration experiences oscillate between taking root and flying, between staying and leaving, between here and there. Many of these experiences seek to build a future to stay, not to migrate, which contrast with the experiences of vulnerability and transience on the border between Mexico and the USA. And in Seattle, Washington, analyzed in a separate article, in this same volume. Through participatory photography and unstructured interviews, we explore the experiences and information practices of marginalized communities, and relate them to how they experience transience throughout the different stages of the migratory experience. We also discussed how the stages of migration may not be sufficient to account for the constant changes and iterations in the experiences of the migrants we studied.