The Migration Crisis and the Ecstasies of Hatred

Abstract

This chapter introduces the book by describing the transformation of the hegemonic imaginaries on migration since the nineties. Theories produced in the Global North describe that decade as an “era of migration” while the present moment has been typified as a “post-globalized” one. This new era is characterized by a political turn to the right (and extreme right) in many countries of the world; the production of anti-immigration hate speech, and an increase in racism, xenophobia, classism, and misogyny. The chapter explores the impacts these processes have on the American Southern Cone, which is facing an increasingly severe crisis with social, economic, and political dimensions. This crisis results from the radicalization of neoliberal policies implemented in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Understanding how this globalized scenario thrives in, changes, or alters specific contexts in the American Southern Cone, and its peculiar relationship with the migratory phenomenon, presents challenges for social research. This volume aims to respond to these challenges; its objectives, analytical frameworks, and contributions are summarized at the end of this chapter.