They Go to the City, and Sometimes They Come Back: Conceptualising Rural and Urban Spaces Through Experiences of Circular Migration in Paraguay

In this paper, I examine what people's reasons for migrating from, and subsequently returning to, a rural community can tell us about the inter-related ways that rural and urban spaces are conceptualised. Drawing on research in a small, agricultural community in Paraguay, I explore two illustrations of women who are circular migrants, in order to demonstrate some of the potential circumstances, aspirations, and experiences that can shape decisions to migrate for work and then eventually return to rural spaces. My discussion demonstrates the importance of migration in the construction of a rural present and future, in which movements between rural and urban spaces help to support rural life and aspirations.