La emigración a Francia (segunda mitad del siglo XX). Unas reflexiones sobre retornos y reintegraciones

Abstract

This article focuses on Spanish emigrants to Europe, and to France in particular. Seasonal migration and exile are beyond the scope of this study. The subject is instead approached through the notion of return. More than a historical resume, the aim is to open avenues of inquiry. The paths for future research are many: the choice of places to which to return, the networks for return, the fragmentation of families, generations, cultures, etc. What has been chosen as the centre of this analysis is the role of migration politics, associations and the media in order to maintain the migrant in the national framework. From 1956 until now, the reasons for concern with return have been different: the return of currencies, of men, of votes. Today it is the autonomías (regions) that are taking into account the desire to come back and the desire for a smooth re-adaptation (domestic, social and cultural). Current return, more important than had been foreseen, occurs in a Spain that has become a country of immigration.