Can you imagine moving from one place to another without definitely settling down?Nomadic communities have acted in this way and some continue this lifestyle to this day, however, this way of life is becoming increasingly difficult due to processes such as industrialization. With the changes, a new group of people has also emerged, dedicated to this way of life: the nomads of the 21st century.
What’s the difference with the nomads we knew?Are new nomads or nomads of the 21st century generally not leading this lifestyle as a community, is it a personal or family situation that arises from several factors.
- How are you.
- What do you do.
- And what drives you to adopt this lifestyle?All these issues will be resolved throughout this article.
- We will also show you some curious facts.
There are different types of nomads in the 21st century, depending on the context in which they are located and, above all, why they have adopted this way of life.
They are nomadic communities for their codes, traditions, practices, behaviors and belief systems, they are the nomadic classics, to call them in some way, in addition, stationary nomads would integrate with this type of nomads, who would change places according to the season.
The number of? The traditional nomadic communities have been reduced due to the changes that the industry has caused, the exploitation of natural resources that respond to special interests and the laws and policies that somehow oblige them to stay in the same place, so these nomadic groups are threatened. for new changes.
However, there are still some 40 million nomads of this type, found in countries such as Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Spain, the Philippines, Kenya, among others.
These are the people who are interested in knowing the world, and for that they move without hesitation, that is, they move from one place to another to “know each other” but without having a fixed place to live.
Can they be people who like to travel for fun, discover, learn?There are millions of reasons! The truth is that they want to free themselves from the bonds of living in a fixed place and embarking on the adventure of places constantly changing.
Their way of moving may not be the same as that of traditional nomads, but at least temporarily they opt for constant change as a way of life.
They can also be Knowmads or nomads of knowledge, people who have the ability to develop new concepts from the great knowledge they have and who can work with anyone, anywhere.
It is nomads who have acquired this condition out of necessity, a clear example is forced displacement. According to the World Bank, the term forced displacement refers to the change made by people who leave their homes or flee because of the following factors:
They differ from migrants in that they can decide to change their country in search of better conditions, whether economic, security or climate, among others.
There’s a lot of research on that. Some speak of forced displacement as new nomads, which have emerged from situations of violence that have forced people to leave “their natural niches and turn them into villagers of new lands,” explains Heron Henao Delgado, director of the Institute. Regional Studies at INER.
In his article “Displaced: New Nomads”, Henao Delgado condenses condensed reflections on this situation. He talks about the phenomenon, the victim and the destabilization that external pressure produces. In addition, he enriches his text by showing some testimonies.
It is clear that the characteristics of the nomads of the 21st century will depend on their type, let’s look at some characteristics depending on the type of each:
Traditional nomads are usually hunters, collectors, cattle herders or travelers who travel in search of food and are characterized by:
Nomads of self-interest are often people who see every moment as a learning opportunity and are also characterized by:
In the case of Knowmads, they are professionals who have a great knowledge in their field, in addition to the availability and value to work almost everywhere and with anyone, in addition to dedicating themselves to the jobs they love. New technologies, including social media management, also dominate.
The forced displacement of which we speak is characterized, according to Henao Delgado, by:
This trend was born from globalization and industrialization, thanks to the changes induced by these phenomena has generated, maintained or modified this way of life, on the one hand, some traditional nomads have had to change some of their dynamics to adapt to the new conditions. Others have managed to maintain their customs, but feel increasingly threatened.
On the other hand, the nomads of forced displacement were born of conflicts with the nuances of civil war that exist in some countries.
In addition, nomads for their own interest, thanks to a world that allows them to move more easily and new technologies that allow them to develop various forms of employment, adapt to different places and do their work from there, or take advantage of the opportunity to travel around the world without depending on a specific place.
The nomads of the 21st century have something in common; Like it or not, have they adapted to the new conditions offered by today’s world, will they continue to exist?Will new groups be formed? Each context causes changes that, in turn, influence the lifestyles we know and experience.