Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Venezuelan Migrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Barriers to Integration

Letino, Kristian Dmitry Valerin LU (2025) STVK12 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This thesis is a qualitative case study of Venezuelan migrants living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This study examines how migrants experience the four main barriers to socio economic integration – labour market exclusion, housing insecurity, institutional hurdles and everyday discrimination as well as the implications of these barriers. The theoretical framework of this thesis combines intersectionality, Social Identity Theory as well as the post-colonial lens to shed light on how unique identities, insider-outsider relations as well as power hierarchies interact in shaping migrant’s experiences. During a field study in the spring of 2025, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted, complemented with informal observations and NGO... (More)
This thesis is a qualitative case study of Venezuelan migrants living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This study examines how migrants experience the four main barriers to socio economic integration – labour market exclusion, housing insecurity, institutional hurdles and everyday discrimination as well as the implications of these barriers. The theoretical framework of this thesis combines intersectionality, Social Identity Theory as well as the post-colonial lens to shed light on how unique identities, insider-outsider relations as well as power hierarchies interact in shaping migrant’s experiences. During a field study in the spring of 2025, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted, complemented with informal observations and NGO reports to understand the factors shaping integration experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns in the primary data. A key finding of this study is that the four barriers are interconnected and mutually reinforcing; credential non-recognition and long administrative waits force migrants to work
precarious jobs; subtle xenophobia erodes social acceptance. This thesis concludes that to reach positive integration utcomes, a holistic approach needs to be adopted. By providing the first in-depth qualitative study of Venezuelan migrants in Buenos Aires, this paper also fills a research gap; and offers policy takeaways transferable to certain other South American migrant host cities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Letino, Kristian Dmitry Valerin LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Venezuelan migration, migrant integration, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Venezuelan Displacement Crisis, Intersectionality, Social Identity Theory, Postcolonial analysis
language
English
id
9189640
date added to LUP
2025-08-07 16:27:43
date last changed
2025-08-07 16:27:43
@misc{9189640,
  abstract     = {{This thesis is a qualitative case study of Venezuelan migrants living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This study examines how migrants experience the four main barriers to socio economic integration – labour market exclusion, housing insecurity, institutional hurdles and everyday discrimination as well as the implications of these barriers. The theoretical framework of this thesis combines intersectionality, Social Identity Theory as well as the post-colonial lens to shed light on how unique identities, insider-outsider relations as well as power hierarchies interact in shaping migrant’s experiences. During a field study in the spring of 2025, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted, complemented with informal observations and NGO reports to understand the factors shaping integration experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns in the primary data. A key finding of this study is that the four barriers are interconnected and mutually reinforcing; credential non-recognition and long administrative waits force migrants to work
precarious jobs; subtle xenophobia erodes social acceptance. This thesis concludes that to reach positive integration utcomes, a holistic approach needs to be adopted. By providing the first in-depth qualitative study of Venezuelan migrants in Buenos Aires, this paper also fills a research gap; and offers policy takeaways transferable to certain other South American migrant host cities.}},
  author       = {{Letino, Kristian Dmitry Valerin}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Venezuelan Migrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Barriers to Integration}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}