From the Classroom to the Field

An Experience in Building Shared Knowledge for the Study of Human Mobility in the Huasteca Potosina

Abstract

This work stems from the study of the complexity of human mobility in Mexico and the recognition of insufficient institutional capacity to address such adverse issues as massive transit migration, the growing phenomenon of refugees, internal displacement, and, in short, the profound historical debts owed to migrants of origin. This implies that international phenomena associated with human mobility must currently be addressed by local communities, but with highly variable results, as they depend heavily on the configuration of institutional relationships that develop in each area. In this sense, El Colegio de San Luis and the Universidad Intercultural de San Luis Potosí (UICSLP, Matlapa campus) fostered a collaborative approach to understand the human mobility processes specific to the Huasteca region and, through this understanding, explore avenues for intervention with a local and community-based focus. This article highlights some lessons learned from the Workshop for Young Researchers: Study and Analysis of Human Mobility in the Huasteca Region of San Luis Potosí. This workshop was conducted in collaboration with students of the Administrative Informatics program (UICSLP-Matlapa) to explore, from a classroom perspective, some of the dynamics of human mobility present in the territory of local communities.