Transnational life and cross‐border immobility in pandemic times

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic dramatically disrupted and reconfigured the cross‐border movements of people. Based on an anthropological study of the experiences of transnational migrants during the pandemic (May 2020–May 2021), this article explores stories of how cross‐border immobility impacts transnational life and sense of belonging. The stories reveal the emotional toll of prolonged family separation across geographical distances when loved ones are no longer ‘just one flight away’ and give voice to experiences of being ‘trapped’, ‘stuck’ or ‘stranded’ in a state of transnational limbo. Running through the stories are intensified experiences of foreignness, non‐belonging, precariousness and discrimination. Some also felt abandoned by their country of origin as border closures left them ‘locked out’ and ‘blowing in the wind’, fostering an experience akin to exile.

Assessing Mental Health Vulnerability Among First- and Second-Generation Immigrants During the Trump Administration

“…In particular, the visa bans may have been exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited people from entering and leaving countries. For example, many immigrants were unable to see family (e.g., parents, spouses) from countries of origin during the past few years due to these travel bans (Skovgaard-Smith, 2023).…”

Grafted transnationalism: Rhythmic routines and disruptions of stay‐at‐home international students

“…Physical immobility impedes the cultivation of close relationships between international professors and students (Cairns et al, 2021;Wang, 2021). It also obstructs their efforts to boost their global employability, establish nonlocal social networks and forge connections with other transnational communities (Cairns et al, 2021;Skovgaard-Smith, 2023;Wang, 2022a).…”

Covid‐19 and Global Networks: Reframing our understanding of globalization and transnationalism

“…The accepted papers offer both significant individual contributions, but also as a collective, a deep understanding of how the challenge of Covid‐19 reconfigures contemporary globalization, international migration, transnationalism, supply‐chains, and ensuing global networks across society. Broadly speaking, the papers covered several inter‐related theoretically and evidence‐based topics from international migration, mobilities, and proximity (Ansar, 2023 ; Hari et al., 2023 ) to transnational immobilities (Kempny, 2023 ; Simola et al., 2023 ; Skovgaard‐Smith, 2023 ) to diasporic and transnational communities (Ceccagno & Thurø, 2023 ; Müller, 2023 ; Yamamura, 2023 ) and forced labour in global value chains (Hughes et al., 2023 ). Collectively, the authors should be highly commended for their resilience and inventiveness in completing original empirical work during a period of unprecedented disruption for themselves, their subjects and their institutions.…”

“…Continuing with the theme of immobility, Skovgaard‐Smith ( 2023 ) explores how the Covid‐19 pandemic dislocated and interrupted the cross‐border movement of migrants, and impacted their transnational life and sense of belonging. An important theoretical contribution was unpacking meanings of (pandemic) immobility contextualized in transnationalism and mobilities studies.…”

“…An important theoretical contribution was unpacking meanings of (pandemic) immobility contextualized in transnationalism and mobilities studies. Empirically, Skovgaard‐Smith ( 2023 ) drew on ‘virtual’ ethnography with 36 respondents across 26 different countries (using platforms like MS Teams, Zoom, WebX) and a qualitative survey of 102 responses. Stories gathered from the respondents illuminated transnational life during the pandemic; from living in the ‘zoom‐iverse’ to being in lockdown and, ‘“trapped” by closed borders’ (p. 7).…”