Abstract
The Social Organizations of South Asian Immigrant Women’s Mothering Work earnestly explores complex social organizations, as they affect recent South Asian immigrants’ mothering work as women enter a new society. The author, F. Chaze, focuses specifically on Canada. Social Organizations examines settlement processes that encourage South Asian women to perform mothering work differently from their perceptions of “good mothering” derived by their own cultures. Through an institutional ethnography, Chaze interviewed 20 recently arrived South Asian immigrant mothers with school-aged children. The ethnographic study reaches the conclusion that South East Asian immigrant mothers’ experiences are shaped by larger forces such as “neoliberalism, mass migration, and history (of colonialism).”
Social Organizations offers several noteworthy strengths and contributions to the field. As an institutional ethnography, it offers a highly rigorous qualitative study. It attests to the fact that the researcher was attentive to many details in the research process: sampling, reflexivity, translation, and power relations. In addition, the author carefully included various types of information. Data sources include relevant Canadian policies, services, programs, and cultures that directly impact the lives of immigrant mother. Consequently, the study’s findings are enriched and deepened. Overall, Social Organizations provides valuable knowledge for the given phenomenon.
As it pertains to feminist research studies, Social Organization contributes to current literature in the field. Indeed, the author recognizes that researchers tend to focus on the settlement process of immigrant populations from “androcentric” perspectives. Usually, outcomes of immigrant families’ settlement are determined by “breadwinners”’ employment status. This model is used to determine self-sufficiency. In most cases, immigrant men are the main breadwinners and the head of the household. Therefore, immigrant women’s struggles, and the realities of their settlement processes, remain largely overlooked and understudied in the literature. For instance, as a case study of an immigrant mother, who is also a victim of domestic violence, Tejinder (pseudonym)’s story was powerfully presented. It was informative and heartbreaking to learn about her multiple struggles with poverty, loss of social ties, language barriers, victimizations, inability to navigate new social systems, discrimination, among others. The Tejinder case offered various implications. For instance, it was an intriguing point that some immigrant parents viewed child welfare workers as policing their parenting style rather than as providing much relevant support. It would be highly beneficial and contributive to the field if additional such cases were presented and made available in the literature. Indeed, more cases and discussions on the struggles of immigrant mothers involved with the child welfare system in Canada would be instructive. Social Organization offers a step in this direction.
The author excels at capturing immigrant mothers’ experiences. The study compelled me to think of several fundamental questions as regards diversity, immigrant integration, and welfare policies of a host society, in general. Public attitudes of a given society are often reflected through social policies. Notably, Canada is recognized as one of the most welcoming countries for immigrants and refugees (i.e., cultural mosaic). Of course, there are still several aspects that remain, challenging immigrants with barriers and oppression. In Social Organization, the author identifies Canadian cultures’ emphasis on autonomy and independence as one of the biggest cultural distinctions of South East Asian culture. Due to their status, as being “different,” immigrant families are often demonized and oppressed from nonmarginalized groups. These points of concern raised in the book raise critical questions regarding society’s inclusivity. To what extent do people actually wish to embrace diversity and are willing to make changes to support newcomers? As social workers and scholars, we hold an opportunity to provide important suggestions and implications. It is uncertain, however, how many changes could take place in reality. Such fundamental philosophical questions are beyond the book’s agenda or scope. Therefore, we might continue to think of these questions together as social workers since migration continues as a global trend.
Overall, this thought-provoking book provides a vivid and accurate portrait of immigrant women’s mothering work through a feminist lens. Most of all, this book encourages readers to think deeply about immigration-related topics and matters of immigrant women’s integration, in particular. From my role as a professor, social worker, scholar, and recent reader of The Social Organizations of South Asian Immigrant Women’s Mothering Work, I wish to recommend this study for consideration. Interested audiences may include social work practitioners and advocates working with immigrant populations and social science scholars studying immigrants’ integration processes in the host society, among others. Additionally, this book serves as an informative supplemental reading for graduate-level courses related to the nexus of immigration and social work, sociology, or policy programs.