Belonging and communicating in a bounded cosmopolitanism: the role of mobile phones in the integration of transnational migrants in Singapore

ABSTRACT

The unabated influx of transnational labour migrants has been accompanied by complex societal fissures, from differential policies to the creation of isolated cultural geographies. In Singapore, citizens voice their aggravation caused by transients’ lack of acculturation, and the resultant risks posed to the cosmopolitan vision of the state. We examine the intersection of transnational acculturation with mediated communication via mobile phones within the domains of life and work. Data from in-depth qualitative interviews (75) allowed for thick descriptions. We find that, despite encountering heterotopic practices, transnational migrant workers engage in a phenomenon we label ‘bounded cosmopolitanism’, or the ability to engage in learning, enjoy economic growth, and embrace cultural hybridity, to escape the shackles of race, class, and gender. Mobile phones play a significant role in providing open participatory spaces; yet; this phenomenon signifying openness, innovation, and acceptance is restricted to organizational workspaces. We therefore conclude with comments on the implications of applying management perspectives to broader societal challenges, and propose shifting of the discourse from the bounded confines of the organization to that of society.

KEYWORDS:

• ICT
• mobile phone
• migrants
• acculturation
• cultural identity
• organizational commitment
• cosmopolitanism
• integration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Arul Chib is an Associate Professor at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, and Director of the Singapore Internet Research Centre, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. [email: [email protected]]

Rajiv G. Aricat was a graduate student (at the time of writing) at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. [email: [email protected]]

Notes

1. An Indian migrant worker was killed in a bus accident in Little India, a busy business district in the country. The driver of the bus was a Singaporean.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the International Development Research Centre under the SIRCA Grant.