'Living three different lives'. Social trajectories and identities of Chilean political refugees in Portugal

Abstract

The Chilean Military coup in 1973 and the following military dictatorship (1973-1990) demolished dreams and projects of social change. As a result, major consequences affected the country and its citizens. These had a repercussion not only on Chilean territory but also overseas due to the massive Chilean migration seeking asylum and refugee status around the world. This article seeks to analyze the experiences reported by Chilean migrants residing in Portugal, who have a very specific feature differentiating them from the rest of the economic immigrants: they are all 'former political refugees'. We will show through the life stories of these Chilean migrants and the significance they attribute to the experience of exile, how they have constructed and reconstructed their identity, their culture and their referents.