El transnacionalismo político de los migrantes colombianos en Nueva York y Nueva Jersey (1990-2010): su comprensión desde la óptica de las heridas identitarias y la búsqueda de reconocimiento.

This article aims to understand the dynamics of the political transnationalism of Colombian migrants in New York City and the northern area of New Jersey during the 1990-2010 period from the processes of contempt and moral suffering (social stigmatization), the implications of these processes in the migrants' identity/autonomy (as generators of identity wounds) and their search for social recognition. The paper begins with a characterization of the Colombian migration to that setting. Then it shows the experiences of moral contempt faced by Colombian migrants in the contexts of origin and arrival. In the context of origin such experiences were linked to social and political polarization, violence, inequality and strong barriers to upward mobility, while in the context of arrival these experiences were related to the stigma of drug trafficking, the dynamics of cultural racism, discrimination because of low English proficiency, and the absence of a legal immigration status. Finally, the article discusses the participation and mobilization (mainly at informal and collective levels) of Colombian migrants in relation to the search for social recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]