Movimiento, movilidad y migración: una visión dinámica de la niñez andina

• Main Author: Jeanine Anderson
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Institut Français d'Études Andines 2013-12-01
• Series: Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Études Andines
• Subjects: rural childhood; mobility; child agency; family dynamics; Yauyos province; Peru
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/bifea/4206

Theories on childhood revolve around notions of time and space. Children are located in ecological niches, which imply particular companions, activities and challenges. Most studies of childhood in rural communities of the Andes, by contrast, reflect preconceived ideas of peasants immobilized in defensive postures. This study, which was carried out in six localities in the province of Yauyos to the south of Lima, capital of Peru, makes the opposite argument. Based on ethnographic observations of children between ages 3 and 14, it examines four types of movement which are fundamental in their experience. One is the daily movement associated with play and tasks assigned them. A second is migration among localities in the province and on occasion to neighboring cities. Especially when directed to Lima, migration entails social mobility. Finally, movement and distant worlds enter children’s imaginaries via movies and television, itinerant vendors and tourists.