This interpretive essay examines the meaning of suffering among former Mexican American migrant farmworkers in Michigan. Sufrimiento/suffering is presented as a sociological concept that has material, spiritual and collective dimensions, and aligns with the concept of social suffering. The concept of suffering mediates the experiences of farmworkers by providing meaning to the harsh realities of their lives. Suffering is understood by participants in one of several ways: (i) as necessary for personal growth and learning, (ii) as a pathway to God, (iii) as a source of resiliency and (iv) as necessary sacrifice for the future of their children. Suffering points to multidimensional aspects of the lives of former migrants and serves as a sign used by them to interpret and re-interpret hardships endured and to justify their actions through the anguish and resilience embedded in social suffering. © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

sufrimiento Mexican Americans Migrant farmworkers Social suffering

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