Description
Book SynopsisThis volume challenges the dominant discourse that perceives Asian women as either mail-order brides or overseas workers. Providing the first sustained critique of the artificial analytical division between brides and workers, the book demonstrates women''s transition from brides to workers and from workers to brides. Focusing on how women workers use marriage as a strategy to gain citizenship and how migrants for marriage become workers, the authors present these modern Asian women in their multidimensional roles as wives, workers, mothers, and citizens. The case studies explore a wide gamut of experiences, including Filipino caregivers in Canada, Thai sex workers in Germany, Filipino brides in Australia, Singaporean expatriates in Shanghai, Taiwanese families split between Taiwan and California, Asian migrants for marriage in Japan, and Filipino domestic helpers in Spain and Italy. All of these show the multiplicity of roles women maintain and emphasize the point that marriage, work,
Trade ReviewWife or Worker? is a fascinating collection of case studies drawn from a diverse range of disciplines. The text not only challenges feminist thinking about Asian women's migration patterns, but also raises important topics for further scholarly research. * Australian Feminist Studies *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: Marriage and Migration in an Age of Globalization Chapter 2: Filipinas in Canada: Deskilling as a Push toward Marriage Chapter 3: Does Marriage Liberate Women from Sex Work? Thai Women in Germany Chapter 4: Sisterhood Is Local: Filipina Women in Mount Isa Chapter 5: Gender, Marriage, and Skilled Migration: The Case of Singaporeans in China Chapter 6: Reflections on Transnational Life-Course and Migratory Patterns of Middle Class Women: Preliminary Observations from Malaysia Chapter 7: Migrating for the Children: Taiwanese American Women in Transnational Families Chapter 8: Wife, Mother, and Maid: The Triple Role of Filipino Domestic Workers in Spain and Italy Chapter 9: International Marriage through Introduction Agencies: Social and Legal Realities of "Asian" Wives of Japanese Men
