Blog 3 – Transmigrants Throughout the World

By Eric Yu

The work that Schiller et al. (1995) have produced about transmigrants proves how such a group of people have a number of complex dimensions that need to be understood to gain further clarity. These authors (1995) make particular note of how such a group were people were divided in their loyalties, as they “were in fact immigrants” that were supposed to sever their connections to home, but actually acted through “transnational connections of past generations of immigrants” (p. 52). Such a connection bears similar to how Hu-DeHart (1999) notes the existence of “astronauts” who connect to family and businesses within both Asian countries and the United States (as cited by S.C. Wong 1995; Ong 1993). Additionally, the example Schiller et al. (1995) give about a Filipino family transmigrational life remains surprising, since these people are able to achieve some degree of success that could have come at a potential cost. Valverde notes how her research in both Ethnic and Area studies has allowed her to see such relations invisible to others (September 29, 2015). One cannot ignore how transmigrants can build bridges back to their own countries, perhaps even more effectively than other Asian Americans heavily established in the United States.

Question: How could Asian Americans already heavily established in the United States communicate effectively to those focused on building bridges back to their homeland?

Professors at UC Davis note how important transnational relationships are to students, so a number of them have held a conference discussing such issues a few months previously.
Original Source: A poster in one of the ASA offices that was not taken down during Summer 2015.

Works Cited

Hu-DeHart, E. (1999). Introduction: Asian American Formations in the Age of Globalization. In E. Hu-DeHart (Ed.), Across the Pacific: Asian Americans and globalization (p. 1-28), New York: Asia Society; Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Schiller et al. (1995). From Immigrant to Transmigrant: Theorizing Transnational Migration. Anthropological Quarterly, 68(1), 48-63.

Valverde, K. C. (2015, September 29). Lecture on Diasporas (cont.). Personal Collection of K. C. Valverde, University of Davis, Davis CA.