Reasons for leaving and returning to Mexico: The case of repatriated scientists (1991-2019)

Abstract

This work aims to explain the reasons that 32 researchers went abroad and then returned to Mexico within the framework of the repatriation program of CONACYT. Bernard Lahire’s perspective on socialization was useful because it allows us to see the biographical trajectories of individuals when they are part of certain groups or institutions. We use the biographical method to capture socialization processes. Lahire’s perspective is complemented by the category of reception contexts that allow us to read theoretically the dynamics of repatriation and in turn understand the reasons for leaving and returning. While there is a policy that encourages return, it is research groups and institutions that determine return.