Academic Publication (FASS)

Globalization has been extensively debated in a range of contexts, from trade to borders, international relations, and conflict. It appears to be a positive force for women as many scholars contend that it has offered women new opportunities, thus enhancing greater gender equality in many countries where traditional patriarchal structures are firmly entrenched. However, some scholars are more skeptical of the benefits of globalization for women. They note that despite women gaining an increasing share of employment opportunities in a globalized world, the expected redistribution of domestic, household, and childcare responsibilities often did not materialize. They also argue that multinational corporations appear to uphold patriarchal systems, as these entities often view women’s labor as generally cheaper and more expendable than men’s labor. In this paper, the intricacies between globalization, migration, and gender are examined in order to investigate gender inequality and its consequences as well as the ways in which international migration is facilitated by globalization. Our review of relevant scholarship in these areas reveals that globalization has adversely affected women in both the Global North and the Global South, but the consequences to women in the latter are even more profound. The feminization of migration brought about by globalization has resulted in many challenges to women, including disruptions to family life and to the children left behind when mothers migrate to other countries in search of employment. It has also resulted in women’s position in society becoming more vulnerable as there is very little protection afforded to them as migrants, thus exposing them to many dangers such as sexual harassment. The findings above suggest that creating and implementing gender-responsive, equitable, and effective labor migration policies for migrant women should be prioritized and should be the shared responsibility of both countries of origin and countries of destination.

Marriage-led migration or migration-led marriage was rarely discussed in public or private realms just over two decades ago. However, international marriage migration (IMM) has become a norm in today's globalised world. While a substantial body of literature deals with this growing practice, existing literature does not adequately address the role that ethnicity plays in the context of IMM. The purpose of this study is to explore the question of ethnicity in IMM in Southeast Asian contexts. It focusses on what we have called the ‘predicament of ethnicity’ and the negotiations around ethnicity, culture and identity among couples where at least one partner migrated for the purpose of the marriage. The study is based on interviews with international couples selected using a snowball sampling method and demonstrates complex and intriguing patterns of cultural and ethnic identity negotiations between international Southeast Asian couples.

According to the United Nations, the Rohingya people are the most persecuted minority group in the world. The atrocities perpetrated by Myanmar authorities could by any reckoning be called ethnic cleansing. This paper delves into the level of discrimination against the Rohingya population perpetrated by Myanmar authorities in myriad of ways. A team of researchers interviewed 37 victims. The pattern of persecution goes back to 1948 – the year when the country achieved independence from their British colonizers. Today, this population group is the single largest “stateless” community after Palestinians in the world. Their “statelessness” or lack of citizenship increases their vulnerability owing to the lack of entitlements to any legal protection from the government. Without citizenship, they are deprived of basic rights such as access to health services, education and employment. The illiteracy rate among the Rohingya, for example, is a staggering 80 percent. However, so far, no unified responses either from the ASEAN or the EU were provided to the crisis. As a result, the level of discrimination against and brutality towards them kept escalating.

The paper examines the fragility, fragmentation, and crisis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by dissecting the region into three subregions—Maghreb, Mashreq, and the GCC—and elaborating on their complex contours, diverse ideological orientations, and unavoidable outcomes. Politically, economically, demographically, and ethnically heterogeneous, and religiously reasonably homogenous, the MENA records high conflict rates. There is a lack of unity in diversity, hurting regional cooperation and cohesion. We argue that fragility and fragmentation lead to persistent inter- and intra-state conflict, high unemployment, water disputes, deepening poverty, recurrent famine, and growing numbers of refugees and displacement. By referring to examples from Maghreb, Mashreq, and the GCC, the paper shows the interplay between fragility and resilience and thus attempts to offer a nuanced understanding of the factors that trigger and sustain fragmentation and conflict in the region. The insights into the dynamics of fragility, fragmentation, and crisis highlight the imperatives of cooperation and cohesion in regional integration.

The concept of “exposure to migration” helped us understand family dimensions, such as the role of members who remained behind, especially wives, changing gender roles, and changing exposure to remittances. However, most existing migration studies have not examined whether exposure to migration has anything to do with gender dynamics. This has often resulted in women or wives playing a subordinate role in contemporary discourse on gendered migration. Because they have very little to do with remittances compared to male family members, their role in the family is viewed critically by their male counterparts. This research is based on interviews with women from a selection of countries in Asia. Based on the analytical framework of “exposure to migration”, this study contends that the degree of exposure to migration for women depends on the country’s social and cultural milieu. In many cases, this exposure also leads to marital problems and family complications.