Rural-Urban Migration of Young People in High Andean Communities in Peru: Imaginaries and Practices of Vulnerability and Social Advancement

Abstract

The rural-urban migration of young people from the high Andean is a complex social phenomenon linked to profound territorial and structural inequalities, limited local opportunities, and sociocultural transformations that are reshaping young people's life plans. This study approaches this process from the perspective of social imaginaries, emphasizing migratory experiences based on the emotional, rational, symbolic, and practical dimensions that guide young people's migration decisions. A qualitative interpretive approach was adopted, supported by semi-structured interviews with 20 young migrants and complemented by focus groups, which allowed for the reconstruction of youth narratives and local dynamics associated with migration. The findings show that the migratory experience is marked by ambivalent feelings, expectations of social mobility, and tensions between territorial roots and the search for autonomy, as well as by the decisive influence of family, educational, and community networks. Likewise, a limited structural response capacity on the part of local actors has been identified, which contributes to the naturalization of migration as the only viable alternative. Therefore, the results suggest that youth migration cannot be understood solely as an individual decision, but rather as an expression of structural socioeconomic and political conditions, which requires comprehensive approaches to territorial development that incorporate young people as strategic actors in rural and local socioeconomic development, within the global context.