Return to Mexico: exploring the (re)integration experience

This is a study about the return of migrants to their countries of origin and their subsequent reintegration experiences. By using qualitative research tools, this thesis aims to respond to the research question: What factors shape returnees’ (re)integration experiences? While the thesis is not explicitly comparative in nature, in order to analyse the ways in which contexts of return shape returnees’ reintegration experiences, this research was conducted in two contrasting localities in Mexico: the rural municipality of Huaquechula in the state of Puebla, and Mexico City; both are non-traditional emigration areas with high levels of return.

The thesis, argues that, in order to gain a better understanding of the reintegration experiences of returnees, it is important to adopt a ‘holistic’ approach, and proposes the use of the ‘(re)integration framework’ (developed for my analysis of this case study) as its key analytical tool. The findings demonstrate that reintegration experiences are strongly linked to numerous variables: migrants’ motivations to migrate and return, their age at the time of migration, their gendered life course aspects (such as the number of dependents and family roles), and, most importantly, their contexts of return. In turn, these aspects influence the wellbeing of returnees which in turn shape and influence their sense of belonging and future aspirations.