Precarious cosmopolitanism: Work migration and cultural belonging in a globalized Asia

Abstract

The strong presence of migrant workers and the emergence of transnational mixed families from the region in Singapore and other Asian capital cities is one of the undercurrents of inter-Asia globalization. The term 'inter-Asian globalization' here refers to various forms and daily realities of transnational exchanges within the region, as Southeast Asian workers migrate following the flow of capital, meet other workers in the region, make families, and find and make their home. Contrasting the perspectives of middle-class mixed Filipino-Indonesian families of professionals residing in Singapore and returning female migrant domestic workers, this article reflects on the meaning of home, citizenship and sense of belonging in a time of heightened mobility. The article contends that, while Asian globalization creates the context for making 'in-transit' hybrid cultural homes, the migrant's cosmopolitan experience still hinges precariously on their status, gender and class in the hierarchy created by capital, and the interests and politics of sending and host countries concerning citizenship, economic development and space-making.

Re-Immigration of Ex-Laotian Refugees in Indonesia: The Meaning of Identity Through Nostalgia for the Next Generation

“…Through the above explanation, nostalgia becomes a marker in the identity formation for the next generation of ex-Laotian refugees. Following the arguments (Budianta, 2016) and (Somerville, 1992), the nostalgic space for the next generation of ex-Laotian refugees forms a definition of their home and root. Through this presentation, the nostalgic space becomes a marker of Indonesian identity for the next generation of ex-Laotian refugees.…”

Understanding migration in a globalized era: How postcolonialism views diaspora

“…Hall's work should be read together with Homi Bhabha's work on 'hybrid culture', which he views as the outcome of cultures that collides and are in conflict with one another (Bhabha, 2004). Bhabha defines hybridity through the position of the migrant and colonized, and the experience of being not at home ('unhomely') and 'in-between'.…”

“…In the second half of her paper, Ang engages with the concept 'hybridity' to explain the position of diaspora communities. Stuart Hall and Homi Bhabha introduce 'hybridity' as a political mechanism to interrogate and 'talk back' to the British Empire (Bhabha, 2004). Hall's example of hybridity is the "Black British", a pan-African black identity used to fight against the empire.…”

“…Following Ang's path, postcolonial studies and cultural studies scholars in Southeast Asia have sought to uncover hybrid Asian diaspora, their intricate ideas of home, and their liminality. Melani Budianta explains the tender position of Filipino Indonesian family residing in Singapore using the phrase 'precarious cosmopolitanism' (Budianta, 2016), while Carol Chan looks into how Indonesian domestic worker's migration to East Asia leads to the reconfiguration of ideas of freedom as well as gendered and moral practices (Chan, 2017). Taking on cultural studies view of political agency, scholars also look into diaspora literature as "narratives as longings" that reifies ideas of homeland (Gabriel, 2011) and tackle new patterns of repression as a reaction to global migration, such as backlash in the form of nativism and heighten tension between nationalism and globalization (Kim, 2017).…”

“…Consequently, scholars have since paid closer attention to the material reality of the life of a diaspora, and the neoliberalist control over the community. Postcolonial scholars have questioned globalization's promise as a homogenizing force that brings prosperity and access to all as it instead has caused the workers' precarity, the rise of sweatshops, low-paying jobs for women in the Global South, and unequal flow of goods and capital, which further elucidates the role and limits of nations and peoples of the Global South, as set by the capitalist system (Budianta, 2016;Grewal, 2005). Postcolonial scholars have revealed how global capitalism serves as another power structure that mimics western imperialism, making way for a classconscious approach and research on migration and migrant communities.…”