Abstract
Lifestyle migration is a recent phenomenon profoundly intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. This type of internal migration is commonly associated with mid and upper classes and the deliberate choice of destination to settle where nature, the landscape and the amenities are the main motivations for leaving the city of origin. An anti-colonial approach of lifestyle migration assumes the power relations between new migrants and old residents, expressed in hierarchies between urban and rural, landowners and peasants, as well as between classes. The central-south coast of Chile is a destination that in the last 10 years has undergone an intensive urbanization of the coastline with significant impacts in areas such as environment, infrastructure and basic services, real estate and culture. Based on the above, the paper exposes some results of an ongoing ethnographic research in a world-renowned tourist hot spot for surfing, located in the south of Chile. We highlight the role that identity plays in this process, where lifestyle migrants tend to negotiate privilege in order to avoid being part of an uneven trend that jeopardize the pure and idyllic character of what was originally sought in the new destination. This research seeks to strengthen community resources to face urban growth as well as promote synergy between the different actors around the sustainability of this new migratory phenomenon.
Presenters
Cristobal BravoAcadémico, Departamento de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Bío-Bío, Chile
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Changing Dimensions of Contemporary Leisure
KEYWORDS
Mobility, Lifestyle migration, Identity, Coastal urbanization
