This thesis is an exploration of how particular Bolivian men and women who have migrated from Bolivia to Argentina, and have recently 'returned' to Bolivia, define, negotiate, and (re)create their identities in the migration experience. I argue that both the narratives and experiences of transnational migration for these migrants varies according to gender, age, economic possibilities, and legal circumstances. Furthermore, I suggest that this experience varies according to the multiple encounters with 'others' along the transnational circuit. By using a conceptualization of "migration" in transnational terms, my work has centered on how these migrants conceptualize the social conditions in which they live and how they actively search for ways to improve their living conditions in both Bolivia and Argentina. In this sense, the concept of 'home' has been critically explored in order to grasp the complex narratives of belonging and displacement.

This thesis aims to contribute to current discussions on citizenship and transnationalism by analyzing the circumstances of Paraguayan, Bolivian and Peruvian immigrants in Argentina. More precisely, I examine the impact that state-promoted criminalizing discourses had on the lives of these immigrants in La Plata city in the late 1990s. On the one hand, their access to public services and resources was importantly constrained, submerging many into increasingly pauperized conditions. On the other hand, new distinctions were created within these nationally defined groups as a result of discursive and residential strategies deployed by many of these immigrants.

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