``The Crisis Is Over? Maybe for the Rich, But Not for Us!' Latin American Migrants' Responses to the (Post-) Crisis Discourse in Spain

Abstract

The term crisis' is usually defined in relation to the concept of normality, marking discontinuity or the break of linearity. The current post-crisis discourse in Spain follows this pattern, since indicators of economic recovery are used to argue the end of the crisis. This article explores how Latin American migrants have responded to this (post-)crisis discourse. The narratives of the interviewed migrants not only point to the gender-specific effects of the economic crisis, they also shed light on the more general question of what is meant if we speak of crisis' or post-crisis'. From the migrants' perspective, the crisis is not a simple economic fact, but a social construction that depends on the socio-economic position of social actors. The article concludes that by taking into account the gendered responses of the migrants, a nuanced and empirically grounded understanding of (post-)crisis emerges that can enrich sociological concepts from the bottom up'.