Abstract
Most extant studies on cross-border marriages focused on female marriage migrants in intact families, the experiences of non-normative families such as those led by a widowed, divorced, and separated marriage migrants have rarely been put under the spotlight. Given their non-normative marital status, these marriage migrants experienced multifaceted vulnerabilities and disadvantages. While female marriage migrants generally experience legal precarity due to their dependence on their husbands to petition for their resident and immigrant status to remain in the host country, non-citizen female marriage migrants in non-normative families are trapped in the state of “legal nonexistence” (Countin, 2000), as their rights to reside in or immigrate into the host country are forfeited when their marriage with a local citizen is dissolved. The situation further complicates when these women possess a different legal or citizenship status from their children. Drawing on interview data with 25 single migrant mothers in non-normative cross-border families between mainland China and Hong Kong, this paper first explains how these single migrant mothers can be considered as “the minority among the minorities” and elucidates how these women were compelled to live in the shadow of legal uncertainty. It then illustrates the women’s situated agency in coping with their “legal nonexistence” by highlighting the ways they strived for maternal citizenship in the society where their children legally belong through applying for discretions from the authority. Lastly, the intensified inequalities between citizens and non-citizens as well as among non-citizen migrant mothers with diverse family and socioeconomic backgrounds will be discussed.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 3 Sept 2020 |
Event | AAS-in-Asia 2020 Conference : Asia at the Crossroads: Solidarity through Scholarship - Online from Kobe Japan, Kobe, Japan Duration: 31 Aug 2020 → 4 Sept 2020 https://aasinasia.org/ |
Conference
Conference | AAS-in-Asia 2020 Conference : Asia at the Crossroads: Solidarity through Scholarship |
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Abbreviated title | AAS-in-Asia 2020 |
Country/Territory | Japan |
City | Kobe |
Period | 31/08/20 → 4/09/20 |
Internet address |