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Relational transnationalism of Filipino/Thai Belgian youths in Belgium: mothers, memories, emotions and social entities

par Fresnoza-Flot, Asuncion
Editeur scientifique Le Gall, Josiane;Therrien, Catherine;Geoffrion, Karine
Référence Mixed families in a transnational world, Routledge, London, Ed. 1, page (29-47)
Publication Publié, 2021-11-30

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Résumé :

The literature on the transnational practices of the ‘second generation’ mainly focuses on children whose parents are migrants, which neglects the offspring of ‘mixed’ couples with different nationalities and/or ethnicities. This chapter addresses this gap by examining the links that children of Filipino-Belgian and Thai-Belgian couples maintain and reinforce with their migrant mothers’ respective countries of origin, as well as the driving forces behind their cross-border practices. The results of multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in Belgium using children-focused methodology indicate these youths’ relational transnationalism. Those whose mothers keep dynamic transnational connections and transmit them the culture and values of their country of origin exhibit a keen interest in that society and feel close to it. The power dynamics between parents, their economic resources and their children’s age fashion this intergenerational transmission. Interestingly, youths who were born and spent their childhood partly in their mother’s country of origin – the 1.5 generation – show more initiative in sustaining links with that country than their counterparts who grew up in Belgium. This difference stems from the informants’ place- and people-attached memories and emotions. The present study also observes the role of social entities such as the State in shaping the transnationalism of mixed-parentage individuals.