‘A century of absences’: Incomplete history of Ecuadorian migration

Abstract

This article analyzes the history of the migration of Ecuadorian citizens during the twentieth and the twenty-first century. The thesis of continuum in migration is proposed, in which human mobility is ongoing, albeit intermittent, of which the flux is (re)activated in times of crisis. Reactivation implies the deployment of migratory networks and infrastructures that facilitates movement. A diachronic look provides insight into the migratory stampedes or waves, such as those currently experienced, and distinguishes the migratory processes and patterns by periods, in a country that has a 100-year history of migration.

To understand this continuum, Ecuadorian migratory flows have been classified into six stages: 1. Migration from Guayaquil in the early and mid-twentieth century; 2. The straw hat crisis of the 1950s and the connections between Austro and New York; 3. The consolidation of the migrant networks (1960-1980); 4. The 'migratory stampede' of the late nineties and the beginning of the 21^st century; 5. The slowdown in migration flows (2007 to 2015); and 6. The migration today during the six-year period 2016-2021.