Migrant masculinities: Bangladeshi men in Singapore's labour force

Abstract

Although there is a growing body of scholars who have examined the reproduction and experiences of masculinities, research on the experiences of migrant men remains relatively limited. While I continue to draw upon insights from these scholars of both migration and gender, my data show that there remains considerable potential to contribute to this research field, in particular, analysing the reproduction of masculinity through a class lens. Drawing upon migrants' own narratives and notions of class by Bourdieu, I examine how Bangladeshi men make sense of their labour migration to Singapore, particularly after they fall out of work. Their responses are not only based upon instrumental calculation, but are also powerfully shaped by a complex set of normative gendered formations that can further constrain them.

Masculinidades migrantes: hombres bangladeshíes en la fuerza de trabajo de Singapur

Aunque existe una creciente cantidad de investigadores que han estudiado la reproducción y las experiencias de las masculinidades, la investigación sobre las experiencias de hombres migrantes permanece relativamente limitada. Mientras continúo basándome en miradas de estos investigadores tanto de la migración como del género, mis datos muestran que aún hay mucho para contribuir a este campo de investigación, en particular analizando la reproducción de la masculinidad a través de un enfoque de clase. Apoyándome en las narrativas de los migrantes mismos y en los conceptos de clase de Bourdieu, estudio cómo los hombres bangladeshíes dan sentido a su migración laboral a Singapur, particularmente después de quedarse sin trabajo. Sus respuestas no están basadas solamente en cálculos instrumentales sino que están fuertemente formadas también por un complejo conjunto de formaciones normativas generizadas que pueden limitarlos más aún.

移居的男性气概：新加坡劳动力中的孟加拉男性

儘管有逐渐增加的学术研究检视男性气概的再生产与经验，关于移居男性经验之研究仍然相对有限。我虽然持续运用移民与性别研究学者的洞见，但我的资料显示，仍存有相当大的潜能可对此一研究领域做出贡献，特别是透过阶级的视角分析男性气概的再生产。我运用移民工的自我叙事以及布迪厄的阶级概念，检视孟加拉男性如何理解他们至新加坡的劳动迁徙，特别是当他们失去工作之后。他们的反应不仅是根据工具性的计算，亦同时强烈地被复杂的规范性性别化形构组合所形塑，这些规范性的性别化形构并可能进一步限制他们。

Keywords::

• migration
• class
• men
• gender
• intersectionality
• work

Palabras claves::

• migración
• clase
• hombres
• género
• interseccionalidad
• trabajo

关键词:::

• 移居
• 阶级
• 男性
• 性别
• 相互交织性
• 工作

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank her advisor Dr Jim Glassman from the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia for her steadfast intellectual support since her doctoral studies. The author is indebted to the staff and volunteers of the NGOs who took her in and the workers who generously offered their time, friendship and observations that she had no right to expect but without which this study would not have been possible. She only hopes that this article and future writings that spring from this work can convey her gratitude and solidarity towards the resilience, sharpness and pain she saw during his fieldwork. The author also thanks Challenges of Agrarian Transition in Southeast Asia (CHATSEA) and the Pacific Century Graduate Scholarship whose funding made this work possible.

Notes

^1. High Commission of Bangladesh website. Accessed March 5, 2010. http://bangladesh.org.sg/cms/index.php?option = com_content&task = view&id = 62&Itemid = 95.

^2. United Nations website. Accessed March 28, 2010. http://www.un-bd.org/bgd/index.html.

^3. Bangladesh High Commission website. http://bangladesh.org.sg/cms/index.php?option = com_content&task = view&id = 36&Itemid = 57.

^4. Information on the special pass, unlike the work permit and employment pass, is not made available on the website of the Ministry of Manpower. Inquiries to the Immigration and Checkpoint Authorities have also not yielded any official statistics.

^5. Accessed December 18, 2010. http://bangladesh.org.sg/cms/index.php?option = com_content&task = view&id = 36&Itemid = 57.

^6.http://www.mom.gov.sg/publish/momportal/en/communities/work_pass/work_permit/application/requirements/Housing_Requirements/List_of_Approved_Housing.html.

^7. In 1996, the official average starting wage for workers in these sectors was $860. This figure fell to $600 by 2006, a decrease of 30% (The Straits Times, July 28, 2007). My fieldwork data also revealed that while this is the official monthly salary, deductions by the employer for electricity, room and board are common among many workers in this sector of the economy. Many workers receive less than $400 a month post-deductions – a wage that is far below the official national average for construction and maritime labourers.

^8. This is a Malay word often used in Singapore that means ‘tolerate’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Junjia Ye

Junjia Ye received her PhD in Geography at the University of British Columbia. She is presently a postdoctoral research fellow in Urban Geography at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity.