Negotiating better futures – migration of Huaorani youth in rural Ecuador

ABSTRACT

Neoliberal economy forces inhabitants of rural, more impoverished areas, to be on the move in search of better life opportunities. Youth is particularly vulnerable to this because of its status in local societies. This article presents research data and discusses the reasons for internal migration practiced by Huaorani youth in Ecuador. Drawing from the concept of ‘mobility imperative' as well as field research conducted in a Huaorani city settlement, I argue that youth’s migration in this ethnic group is intentionally impermanent. Young people move to the city in search of better education, however, their future goals focus on returning to their home forest settlements where they can live in the traditional way while exercising knowledge gathered while they were away.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous youth
• internal migration
• rural youth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Information gathered during fieldwork in Ecuador, January 2018.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Science Center, Poland [grant number 2015/19/P/HS202073], Polonez 1. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 665778.