Life on hold? Impact of COVID-19 on the lives of young higher education students returning to rural areas

• Autores: Potesta Cortez, Alexia, Ramírez Sánchez, Luciana, Alarcón Piña, Mauricio, Pastor Castillo, María Luisa
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2021
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Repositorio: Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/24003
• Enlace del recurso: http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/anthropia/article/view/24003
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Pandemia; migración de retorno; proyectos de vida; juventud rural; Pandemic; return migration; rife projects; rural youth

This article explores the return migration of young Peruvians to rural areas and intermediate cities. Specifically, we focus on the new family coexistence, the difficulties with virtual education, and the changes or permanence in their life projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. At first, we investigate the changes in family dynamics, the extent to which the new responsibilities impact on their daily life and the positive evaluations regarding the new coexistence. Furthermore, we address the experiences and changes arising from the virtualization of higher education, with an emphasis on the limitations in infrastructure and technology present in rural areas. Finally, this essay will seek to analyze how the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened and transformed certain aspects of their life projects. For the present research, an exploratory qualitative methodology was used, based on virtual interviews with 16 young people returning to intermediate cities and rural areas, 10 women and 6 men, with an age range of 18 to 26, within the framework of a virtual fieldwork carried out between October and November of 2020.