Cases, Rizza Kaye Dissertation
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CHANGING TIES, AMBIVALENT CONNECTIONS: Mobilities and Networks of Filipinos in London and New York Metropolitan Areas Rizza Kaye Carrion Cases A dissertation submitted to THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF TRENTO in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH JUNE 2018 Supervisor Prof. Paolo Boccagni Università degli Studi di Trento Committee Members Prof. Francesca Decimo Università degli Studi di Trento Prof. Masja van Meeteren Leiden University Dr. Deirdre McKay Keele University CHANGING TIES, AMBIVALENT CONNECTIONS: Mobilities and Networks of Filipinos in London and New York Metropolitan Areas Rizza Kaye C. Cases For mama, who dreamt of a better life in New York. Acknowledgments Any research project is a social endeavor. It rests on the opportunities and support provided by various actors that made its undertaking and completion possible. Certainly, the past four and half years were not a walk in the park. Doing a PhD and writing a dissertation involved a great deal of work, disappointments, and sacrifices. As an international student, it also meant being away from my usual support network and outside of my comfort zone. However, like the Filipino migrants in this study, I have met and encountered various individuals, groups, and organizations that extended invaluable support throughout this journey. I would like to acknowledge and recognize the following for without them, this piece of work would not be possible. First, to my supervisor, Prof. Paolo Boccagni, for the patience, encouragement, and continued guidance. I am grateful for the academic freedom and respect for my differing opinions, and the extra ‘push’ when I needed it the most. Secondly, to the members of my thesis committee, Prof. Francesca Decimo, Prof. Masja van Meeteren, and Dr. Deirdre McKay, for their careful and patient reading of my manuscript. Their constructive comments and insightful suggestions allowed me to significantly improve my dissertation. To the Doctoral School of Social Sciences and doctoral programme in Sociology and Social Research for the opportunity to conduct this research project. Doing fieldwork in two of the most expensive cities in the world was challenging, but the trust and support I got to carry on with this research allowed me to do the study that I wanted and believed in. I would also like to thank: Prof. Stefani Scherer, the academic director of our doctoral programme, for keeping her door always open to listen to my academic and non-academic concerns and worries; Prof. Giuseppe Sciortino for giving me the best advices – to walk in order to think and to reward myself with a good series to watch after a hard day’s work; and Prof. Peter Kivisto for the meaningful conversations and for connecting me to the esteemed academics during my research visits. To the academic institutions where I spent my visiting research stays: Queen Mary University of London (School of Geography), University of Warwick (Department of Sociology), Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford, and Columbia University (Department of Sociology). Apart from the warm welcome I received, these institutions provided convivial spaces to meet and converse with other academics. Most of those conversations enriched my research project. In particular, I am thankful to Prof. Cathy McIlwaine, Prof. John Solomos, Prof. Carlos Vargas-Silva, and Prof. Van Tran for serving as my faculty sponsors. Special thanks to Prof. Louise Ryan and Dr. Alessio D’Angelo of Middlesex University, as well as to Dr. Paolo Tubaro of University of Greenwich for the guidance while I was developing the research design and instruments for this study. For sharing their expertise and research experience on employing qualitative and mixed-methods social network analysis and utilizing network visualization, I am sincerely grateful. For introducing Qualitative Structural Analysis that allowed me to do justice to the network data that I collected, I am also indebted to Dr. Andreas Herz. I would also like to thank Prof. Nancy Foner of the City University of New York (CUNY) who not only invited me to the interesting seminars at CUNY but also introduced me to her graduate students. The conversations I had with them assured me that the difficulties I encountered in the field were all part of the research process and knowledge production. This dissertation would not have been possible without the research participants who willingly allowed me to enter their worlds, and shared their past experiences, present concerns, and hope for the future. They welcomed me to their homes, workplaces, churches, groups, and organizations. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of living in global cities, they made time, cooked Filipino dishes, and packed some more as their parting gifts for me. Indeed, in more than ways than one, they had made my field work easier to manage. Included are the individuals, groups, and institutions that connected me to the potential respondents: the Philippine Embassy in London, Filipino groups, churches, and associations, and those I cannot mention in order to protect their privacy. To all of them, I offer my sincerest and deepest gratitude. Lastly, to my own transnational ties, my family and friends in the Philippines and beyond, for keeping me grounded and serving as my constant compass, you all have truly inspired me to continue with this endeavor. To Ondrejsko and my newfound family, for enduring the agonizing process of dissertation writing with me, thank you. Sa inyong lahat, ang aking taos-pusong pasasalamat! Abstract The role of social networks in creating and sustaining migration flows, as well as in the adjustment and settlement of migrants, has long been recognized in migration studies. However, cross-fertilization between migration research and network approaches is still uncommon. Utilizing a mixed-method network approach, this study contributes in furthering the understanding of how migrant networks operate. Migrant networks are conceptualized as embedded in dynamic and changing systems, and shown as evolving depending on various contexts and situations. Examined are ego-centric networks of the 134 respondents (58 in London and 76 in New York) in three migration phases: before coming to London or New York; initial period of adjustment; and the current network as a result of the subsequent process of settlement in the place of destination (in total, 402 network maps). In particular, compared are three different occupational groups – nurses, domestics, and care workers. Conceptually dividing the migration process in three phases provided the opportunity to study network dynamics and networking practices, albeit retrospectively. Eliciting migrant networks was embedded within in-depth interviews using both electronic and paper-based network visualization. The findings suggest contrasting network composition in two global cities and across the three occupational groups. In New York, familial ties play an almost exclusive role in facilitating and supporting the movement of Filipino migrants. In London, most of the research participants relied on former employers (in the case of domestic workers) or recruitment agencies (in the case of nurses and care workers in institutional facilities) to facilitate their move. These differences in pre-migration networks then shaped subsequent network formations, adjustments, and settlement experiences. Findings also illustrate that although networks have supportive influence on facilitation of the move and post- migration settlement, familial and co-ethnic ties can also be exploitative to the newly- arrived and undocumented migrants. Situating the particular cases in macro-level context, the study explores how the narratives of attaining the good life through overseas work are interconnected to the need and demand for care labor in the US and the UK as well as the Philippine state-led marketization of high-quality workers as an export commodity. Table of Contents Title Page Acknowledgments Abstract Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures CHAPTER ONE Introduction: Contextualizing the Study of Migrant Networks Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Filipino Migration in Focus ........................................................................................................... 3 Significance of Migrant Networks .................................................................................................. 4 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 5 Outline of the Dissertation ............................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER TWO Migrant Networks: Conceptual and Theoretical Considerations Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 9 Situating the Concept of ‘Network’ in Migration Studies ................................................................10 Networks and the Migration Process ...................................................................................... 11 Migrant Networks and Transnational Practices ....................................................................... 12 Social Capital and Social Support Networks ..........................................................................