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[2L02] Caring through a Pandemic:
Filipino transnational families’ survival of disrupted mobility during the COVID-19 crisis.
Keywords:Philippines, pandemic, care, family life, communication technologies
1. Background and Research Question
The world has undergone profound transformations, necessitating the development of new frameworks to comprehend how individuals navigate their social and emotional landscapes. With the advent of the global pandemic more than three years ago, the mobility and spatial relationships of individuals have been subjected to rigorous examination and regulation. Existing conditions of physical dispersion have been further exacerbated, leaving family members grappling with feelings of disorientation, detachment, and, in certain instances, despondency. In an era characterized by persistent travel restrictions, lockdowns, and other stringent measures governing physical mobility, how can Filipino transnational families (re)establish and maintain a semblance of normalcy and connected coexistence? Do online platforms and a variety of digital communication mediums suffice to nurture active and thriving familial bonds across temporal and spatial boundaries?
2. Information, Data and Analytical Methods
This paper draws on data collected as part of a multi-sited transnational ethnography of Filipino migrants who live in central Japan and their family members in the Philippines. This study began in 2016 and includes both online and offline ethnographic approaches. Data were collected via in-depth interviews coupled with participation in and observation of forty-three families; some members live in Japan while others live in the Philippines. For this specific paper, I strategically selected particular cases from the larger study to elaborate my arguments. The cases and themes selected are attentive to the unique and nuanced ways in which communication, mobilities and family life are intertwined.
3. Major Findings
Based on my findings, in this paper, I delve into the intricate dimensions of virtual (re)creation of temporal and spatial intimacy, while also addressing the associated challenges. I elaborate on how families craft and utilize sophisticated ways of exchanging care through ICTs, notwithstanding the arduous emotional and technical labour family members perform. Beyond the mundane daily routines of family life, more momentous family events and milestones are often conducted online. For instance, I found that, during the pandemic, new ICTs were used by Filipino families for online/digital mourning in a variety of ways. This paper further explores the complicated terrain of Filipino transnational family life regarding the interplay of migration, mobility, and socially constructed expectations. These analyses contribute to the broader conversation about the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in enabling novel and potent expressions of intimacy, affection, and virtual kinship, even in times marked by turbulence.
The world has undergone profound transformations, necessitating the development of new frameworks to comprehend how individuals navigate their social and emotional landscapes. With the advent of the global pandemic more than three years ago, the mobility and spatial relationships of individuals have been subjected to rigorous examination and regulation. Existing conditions of physical dispersion have been further exacerbated, leaving family members grappling with feelings of disorientation, detachment, and, in certain instances, despondency. In an era characterized by persistent travel restrictions, lockdowns, and other stringent measures governing physical mobility, how can Filipino transnational families (re)establish and maintain a semblance of normalcy and connected coexistence? Do online platforms and a variety of digital communication mediums suffice to nurture active and thriving familial bonds across temporal and spatial boundaries?
2. Information, Data and Analytical Methods
This paper draws on data collected as part of a multi-sited transnational ethnography of Filipino migrants who live in central Japan and their family members in the Philippines. This study began in 2016 and includes both online and offline ethnographic approaches. Data were collected via in-depth interviews coupled with participation in and observation of forty-three families; some members live in Japan while others live in the Philippines. For this specific paper, I strategically selected particular cases from the larger study to elaborate my arguments. The cases and themes selected are attentive to the unique and nuanced ways in which communication, mobilities and family life are intertwined.
3. Major Findings
Based on my findings, in this paper, I delve into the intricate dimensions of virtual (re)creation of temporal and spatial intimacy, while also addressing the associated challenges. I elaborate on how families craft and utilize sophisticated ways of exchanging care through ICTs, notwithstanding the arduous emotional and technical labour family members perform. Beyond the mundane daily routines of family life, more momentous family events and milestones are often conducted online. For instance, I found that, during the pandemic, new ICTs were used by Filipino families for online/digital mourning in a variety of ways. This paper further explores the complicated terrain of Filipino transnational family life regarding the interplay of migration, mobility, and socially constructed expectations. These analyses contribute to the broader conversation about the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in enabling novel and potent expressions of intimacy, affection, and virtual kinship, even in times marked by turbulence.
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