Abstract

This article revisits Robert Castel's sociological proposal on social disaffiliation to understand the trajectories of migrant workers who have arrived in Chile in recent years. Based on interviews collected in two qualitative sociological investigations conducted in the Metropolitan Region, the aim is to analyze the processes of social disaffiliation and racialization experienced by migrants, revealing that their migratory status places them in a paradoxical situation: on one hand, they are excluded from integration and socialization processes due to their migrant condition; on the other, they are a functional part of society by integrating into a labor market that demands their workforce. This contradiction places them in a marginalized position that reveals their suffering and permanent uncertainty.