Institut für Ethnologie
21.10.25: Vortrag im Ethnologischen Kolloquium von Can Akin
17. Oktober 2025, von Christina Fastner
Can Akin (Universität Hamburg) zum Thema:
No longer alone: Return migration, social isolation and infrastructures of belonging in Mexico City
What does it mean to return to your place of origin and nevertheless feel alone? This question captures the paradoxical experience of return migrants in Mexico City who find themselves emotionally and socially adrift in what seems to be familiar territory. Unlike rural returnees who often reconnect with family members, in Mexico City, return migrants might face a distinctive form of loneliness. Having lived extended periods abroad, many struggle with severed family ties, the lack of meaningful friendships and the sensation of “being out of place”. In the engulfing urban atmosphere, both their physical absence and return remain unrecognized, while their formal citizenship obscures their need for orientation, social inclusion and emotional bonds. However, the very scale of Mexico City that renders return migrants invisible also harbors possibilities for connection. As the country’s capital city and primary political hub, it hosts a small number of migrant and returnee organizations that function as what Eric Klinenberg (2018) refers to as “social infrastructure”. They not only provide a physical meeting place and formal support, but also foster emotional ties and a sense of belonging through shared experiences. I focus on one particular returnee organization and show how it serves as a mooring for those who return alone. Social infrastructure thus becomes the antidote to urban loneliness, offering returnees the human connection that makes a place feel like home.
Wir freuen uns sehr auf den Vortrag, zu dem wir alle interessierten Personen herzlich einladen.
Das Kolloquium findet immer dienstags im großen Seminarraum des Instituts statt:
Institut für Ethnologie
Seminarraum 222, 2. OG
Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, Westflügel
20146 Hamburg