Abstract:
Return migration has only recently become subject of research in the field of mental health. The experience of the returning migrant in his community of origin exposes him to the eyes of otherness that point to the fragility of both his ego ideals and those shared with the cultural group, particularly when the return is made “with empty hands”. With two clinical vignettes taken from a survey conducted in Senegal between 2014 and 2019, we approach this scenario in which the subjects face shame, humiliation and abjection when they return, being condemned to a “migratory between-two” marginal space.
Keywords:
return migration; shame; humiliation; ego ideal