Migrant Mothers in the Digital Age: Emotion and Belonging in Migrant Maternal Online Communities (Studies in Migration and Diaspora)

This book explores the experiences of migrant mothers through the lens of the online communities they have created and participate in. Examining the ways in which migrant mothers build relationships with each other through these online communities and find ways to make a place for themselves and their families in a new country, it highlights the often overlooked labour that goes into sustaining these groups and facilitating these new relationships and spaces of trust. Through the concept of ‘digital community mothering,’ the author draws links to Black feminist scholarship that has shed light on the kinds of mothering that exist beyond the mother–child dyad. Providing new insights into the experiences of women who mother ‘away from home’ in this contemporary digital age, this volume explores the concepts of imagined maternal communities, personal maternal narratives, and migrant maternal imaginaries, highlighting the ways in which migrant mothers imagine themselves within local, national, and diasporic maternal communities. As such, it will appeal to scholars and students with interests in migration and diaspora studies, contemporary motherhood and the sociology of the family, and modern forms of online sociality. Winner of The Australian Sociological Association Raewyn Connell Prize for best first book published in Australian sociology, 2020-2021. "This book explores the experiences of migrant mothers through the lens of the online communities they have created and participate in. Examining the ways in which migrant mothers build relationships with each other through these online communities and find ways to make a place for themselves and their families in a new country, it highlights the often overlooked labour that goes into sustaining these groups and facilitating these new relationships and spaces of trust. Through the concept of 'digital community mothering', the author draws links to Black feminist scholarship that has shed light on the kinds of mothering that exist beyond the mother-child dyad. Providing new insights into the experiences of women who mother 'away from home' in this contemporary digital age, this volume explores the concepts of imagined maternal communities, personal maternal narratives and migrant maternal imaginaries, highlighting the ways in which migrant mothers imagine themselves within local, national and diasporic maternal communities. As such, it will appeal to scholars and students with interests in migration and diaspora studies, contemporary motherhood and the sociology of the family, and modern forms of online sociality"-- Provided by publisher Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of tables Preface Acknowledgements Series editor’s preface 1. Introduction 2. Migrant maternal online communities 3. Migrant mothers’ relational, affective, and social settlement practices 4. Digital community mothering: Gendered digital labour and meta-maternal practices 5. Connected maternal migrants and imagined maternal communities 6. Concluding reflections Appendix 1: The participants Appendix 2: Interview guide Index This book explores the experiences of migrant mothers through the lens of the online communities that they have created, examining the ways in which they build relationships with each other and highlighting the mostly invisible labour that goes into sustaining these online spaces of trust.