Migrações forçadas e integração: interculturalidade crítica e narrativas de venezuelanos na região metropolitana de Goiânia

Abstract

In recent years there has been an intensification of forced migration flows marked by prolonged displacement and persistent challenges. Faced with this scenario, it is essential to reflect on strategies that guarantee protection and support for people in situations of refuge. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) proposes three durable solutions: voluntary repatriation, resettlement and local integration. In this research, the focus is on analysing the process of integration of forced migrants in the host country, considering the difficulties and limitations of current practices. To this end, I have adopted the perspective of critical/decolonial interculturality, which prioritises horizontal relationships and the recognition of voices that are often silenced. The central aim is to rethink the concept of integration in the light of this theoretical approach and the narratives of Venezuelan forced migrants living in the metropolitan region of Goiânia, as well as professionals working in this area. The research, which is qualitative and interdisciplinary, combines a bibliographical and documentary review with the analysis of semi-structured interviews. To process the data, I used thematic content analysis, creating categories based on the interviewees' statements, which were then organised into four axes: a) Perspectives on arriving in Brazil and the challenges of adaptation; b) Support Networks; c) Barriers and Difficulties; and d) Different Perceptions of Integration. The results indicate that the current model of integration is close to the notion of functional interculturality, characterised by superficial actions that create an apparent inclusion without breaking with the colonial, neoliberal and Western structures that shape migration policies. In contrast, integration from the perspective of critical interculturality is not limited to immediate responses; it requires recognising migrants as active subjects, guaranteeing not only their legal and economic integration, but also their full development within the host community. Integration must go beyond individual adaptation and promote a joint transformation of the shared reality.