Nuances of Migration

This text applies a concept of borders that include not only state borders but also social or temporal ones to an example of oral history. An interview with the author’s father, William Torres, who migrated from Colombia to Germany in the 1980s, shows differences between him and more recent Colombian immigrants in Germany, and between him and members of his own family, illustrating how social and temporal borders can lead to a disconnect between people with seemingly similar experiences in life. This study is inspired by the conceptual framework of Pamela Ballinger’s text ‘Borders and the Rhythms of Displacement, Emplacement and Mobility.’ It illustrates the fact that there are multiple layers to the experience of migration that go beyond the mere crossing of geographical or national borders.