Construcción de identidades colectivas entre inmigrantes

¿Interés, reconocimiento y/o refugio?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to establish a valid framework of analysis for finding an answer to
reasons underlying identity construction among immigrants. In order to do this, we shall reflect on
works that consider the processes of formation of collective identities in different theoretical
traditions, and whose literature is mainly nourished by studies on collective action and works on
ethnicity, including in these latter the works aimed at explaining contemporary ethnic resurgence.
We conclude the article by extracting three possible paradigms for explaining the reason for the
formation of collective indentities among immigrants: first, the rationalist paradigm that explains
the construction of identities according to the existence of common interests. The paradigm of
representation which explains identity construction as a way of recognition that allows participation
of the immigrant group in the system of the receiving society. Thirdly, the paradigm of
psychological refuge for explaining identity construction as a response to a situation of being
unprooted, which is a consequence of the migratory process. The main hypothesis is that identity
construction in the heart of groups with an immigrant origin finds its motive in the search for
recognition within the receiving society.