Migration as Cultural Capital: The Ongoing Dependence on Overseas Filipino Workers

Abstract

This article examines how the dependence on overseas migration is a part of Filipinos’ cultural capital. Drawing on doctoral fieldwork with Filipinos in Ireland and the Philippines, this article addresses the key factors of Filipino overseas migration and how these in turn affect how Filipinos orient and identify themselves. More specifically, the article examines how familiarity with outward migration, the international demand for reproductive labour and healthcare workers, the reliance on remittances, and the economic crisis in the Philippines shape the lenses through which Filipinos interpret their social norms and experiences in the diaspora.