A Quantitative Approach to the Study of Argentinean Political Exiles in Mexico and Catalunya (1974-1983)

Abstract

In the Argentinean demographic history of the second half of the 20^th century, migratory flows constitute a particularly significant phenomenon. They have, however, proved difficult to study, since documentary records fail to distinguish between traditional migration and another type of migration that reflected a context of acute political persecution. This article analyzes these difficulties and reviews the various approaches used to measure the scope of Argentinean exile during the last military dictatorship (1976-1983). It studies the cases of Mexico and Catalunya on the basis of consular and migratory records that have recently been made available. These new sources, with their peculiarities and limitations, highlight the contrasts in the socio-demographic profiles of the Argentineans that arrived in Mexico and Catalunya before and after the coup d’état. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the characteristics of the emigration caused by military repression and the ways exiles were incorporated into receiving societies.