Latin American Migration to the Asia Pacific: Transpacific Connections in the Twenty-First Century

This Special Issue delves into the increasing number of Latin American migrants currently residing in the Asia-Pacific region, providing the first scholarly exploration of their collective experiences. Whereas previous scholarship tended to focus on individual states, bilateral relations, and the patterns of migration associated with them, we aim to highlight new and emergent relationships across the Pacific Ocean that transcend the boundaries from the state to the region. In so doing, we seek to acknowledge the substantial changes in migration patterns that have occurred in recent years, alongside a shift in focus from political identity to questions of wellbeing and connectedness to place. Given the increasing scale and complexity of Latin American migration to the Asia Pacific, the studies presented in this collection are particularly timely. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs reports that between 2000 and 2020, the number of migrants from Latin America (including the Caribbean) residing outside their country of origin increased by 74 per cent (UNDESA 2020). In 2020, approximately 550,000 Latin American migrants were living in Eastern Asia, South-Eastern Asia, and Oceania, in what is commonly referred to as the Asia-Pacific region. Although this figure is relatively low compared to Latin Americans residing in other regions such as Europe and North America, it is still a significant number that has been increasing at noteworthy rates. Such numerical presence is only one way in which to determine the significance of Latin American migration in the twenty first century, and what the contemporary migration from Latin America to the Asia Pacific represents. Latin American diaspora scholarship consists predominantly of studies that explore movements to the United States of America and Western Europe, emphasising South-North migration patterns and a sense of dependence, domination and marginalisation (Overmyer-Velázquez and Sepúlveda 2015). Shifting the gaze towards the Latin American diaspora beyond the traditional regions in the Global North, therefore, provides novel perspectives on the diversity of Latin America and what it means to be a Latin American migrant. As proposed by Overmyer-Velázquez (2019), the growing globalisation of the Latin American diaspora has an impact on the diasporic identities, one that Latin American Studies is yet to capture. This argument resonates with this collection. As the articles in this Special Issue demonstrate, new expressions of culture, creations of community and attachments to place are articulated when the Latin American diaspora is analysed from the Asia-Pacific perspective. This collection also provides novel perspectives to the existing literature on Latin American migration to the Asia-Pacific region, expanding its geographical scope and demonstrating how avenues for future research and inquiry continue to emerge within the field. Most of the existing literature on the Latin American migration to the Asia Pacific is made of studies on returning Asian descendants, with a strong focus on connectedness between Japan, Brazil and Peru (e.g. Takenaka 1999, Tsuda 1999, 2000). Research into this form of nikkeijin return migration spanned over three decades, and new works in this area continue to emerge, often