Multinational Maids

Abstract

Multinational Maids offers an in-depth investigation into the international migrations of Filipino and Indonesian migrant domestic workers. The author taps on her rigorous study of more than 1,200 subjects' migration trajectories to reveal how these migrants work in a series of overseas countries to improve their lives and, in some cases, seek permanent residence in another country. Challenging the portrayal of Asian migrant domestic workers as victims of globalization, Multinational Maids reveals migrants' agency and strategic thinking under conditions of constraint. At the market level, the establishment of guestworker programmes for migrant domestic workers in multiple countries has created a global labour market. A transnational diaspora shapes migrants' evolving destination imaginaries, while manpower recruitment and placement agencies create transnational mobility structures. In addition, differing destination hierarchies and degrees of access to resources lead to the adoption of divergent stepwise trajectories. Written in an accessible manner, Multinational Maids appeals to migration scholars, policymakers, activists and students.

Studying multinational migrations, speaking back to migration theory

“…Returning to Hwang's case study of Filipino sex workers in Asia who circulate between 'anchor cities' such as Hong Kong and Singapore, and secondary destinations such as Kuala Lumpur and Macau, we note as our second point that multinational migrations are not always linear or unidirectional, but may also be circular, repetitive and temporally nested within the migrant's life course. Paul (2017) has noted that the stepwise migrations of the Filipino and Indonesian migrant domestic workers she studied were often folded within broader circular migrations that led the stepwise migrants back 'home' at the end of their overseas careers. For these migrants, short-term shuttle migrations between home and a given overseas destination were also regular occurrences built into their longer-term stepwise migration between destinations.…”

Permanent migrants and temporary citizens: multinational Chinese mobilities in the Americas

“…That her necessary, albeit reluctant, relocation to Chile occurred through networks of acquaintances rather than strong ties reinforces her ambivalent attachment to Santiago and nostalgia for Argentina. Clearly, her mobility was and is constrained, whereas her ambivalent attachments to both countries depict a situation of being 'stuck' (Teo 2007) in Chile, contrary to other multinational migration trajectories that speak to 'upward' socioeconomic mobility patterns (Paul 2017). When asked where she would ideally live, Cai unhesitatingly replied, Argentina.…”

“…The serial migrations of elites or professionals working in multinational corporations fuelled scholarship on the 'flexibility' of citizenship due to their possession of multiple passports (Ley 2011;Ong 1999). The 'step-wise' migration of Southeast Asian migrant women -who negotiate better socio-economic positions according to a hierarchy of destination countries (Paul 2017) -highlight the agency and creativity of a 'cosmopolitan working class' (Werbner 1999). 'Lifestyle migrants' who move from country to country according to personal preferences challenge distinctions between 'work' and 'leisure' (Cohen et al 2015).…”

Serial migrants and one-time migrants

“…Migration scholars have introduced new terms to describe such forms of mobility that involve several countries, develop via stages and/or include periods of return or onward movement. These include at least secondary migration (Takenaka 2007), serial migration (Ossman 2004), twice migration (Brown 2006), stepwise migration (Paul 2011;Paul 2017), transit migration (Collyer and de Haas 2012;Collyer, Düvell, and Haas 2012) and onward migration (e.g. Ahrens, Kelly and van Liempt 2016;Jeffery and Murison 2011;Kelly 2013;Lindley and Van Hear 2007).…”

“…Engbersen (2018, 68) stresses that the concept does not imply that migrants are free to choose the life and adventures they want, but rather it "(…) implies that keeping your options open is a rational attitude developed by intra-European mobile citizens in response to the institutional uncertainties and opportunities that they encounter." Thus the concept of liquid migration stresses the openness of the migrant's life options, where international mobility is one possible course of action, not a form of goal-oriented movement towards a desired final destination as is the case in transit migration (Collyer and de Haas 2012;Collyer, Düvell, and Haas 2012) or in stepwise migration (Paul 2011;2017), for example.…”