Narrative and intersectional analysis of narratives of Colombian migrant women in Costa Rica: actors, scenarios, objects and cultural codes.

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of eleven life stories from a narrative perspective, as well as the contrast from an intersectional perspective. The narrative analysis focused on the identification of actors/actresses of the stories, scenarios, objects and cultural codes. The role of women as actresses and protagonists of their stories is highlighted, along with other actors such as families, sons and daughters, partners, and institutions or organizations that have provided support to migrant women in adverse situations or have hindered their integration in Costa Rica. In terms of scenarios, public and private spaces were identified in which Colombian migrant women are exposed to situations of violence related to gender and nationality. With respect to cultural codes, "Colombianity" was identified as an identity under construction and deterritorialized. Regarding objects, "papers" were identified as providing the possibility of being legally in the country, money as a means to obtain a guarantee of security, and women's bodies objectified and marked by stigmas related to nationality and gender.

From the intersectional analysis, four groups of women were found to have common characteristics that permeate their migratory processes: 1) women with university education who seek better study and work opportunities; 2) women mothers who migrate in search of safety from domestic violence; 3) women daughters who had to migrate because of their families' decision; and 4) the case of a woman who had to migrate to save her life from the armed conflict. Finally, a methodological reflection is made, in which narrative agency is recognized, the possibility of telling their stories, as an opportunity to resignify migration, subvert the places of victims and recognize themselves as heroines of their own stories.