Conference paper
I can't do anything but wait: The experiences of left behind children of transnational parents in Lombok, Indonesia
Anthropology of Children and Youth Interest Group (ACYIG) Conference, 2017 (Los Angeles, United States, 03-Mar-2017–05-Mar-2017)
Anthropology of Children and Youth Interest Group
2017
Abstract
In contemporary Indonesia neoliberal economic forces have led to a rise in transnational labour and rural to urban migration, with an accompanying surge in family fragmentation. In this era of intensified geographical mobility, however, there have also been increased and sustained experiences of immobility. In particular, children and young people who have been "left behind" by their migrating parents are expected to wait for them to return home, sometimes for years at a time. The fact that children have to wait, often with no contact, has become an acceptable and necessary fact of life in many communities. This paper draws on the results of child-focused research with children and young people in rural Lombok, Eastern Indonesia. The research reveals the unpredictability of the temporality of migration, especially for parents who follow informal transnational flows. Children explained how their parents migrated with a plan for a specific time away and a scheduled return. Once gone, however, the time was often extended beyond initial expectations. Short-term seasonal migration became long term, or a regular occurrence instead of a one-time occasion, while longer term stays became indefinite or permanent. From a temporal perspective, therefore, parents are postponing their family's happiness now in preference for a better life in the future, purchased with the money they hope to earn. Drawing on qualitative data the paper focuses on the deep feelings children articulate about their parent's sustained absence for unspecified periods of time. A prominent issue that emerged was the feeling of continual waiting, where children described being in some sort of limbo, not belonging anywhere. They were waiting for something to happen, which included waiting until they were old enough to migrate themselves. By concentrating on children's own views and experiences, the paper contributes to debates about the temporal and affective implications of migration in the Southeast Asia region.
Details
- Title
- I can't do anything but wait: The experiences of left behind children of transnational parents in Lombok, Indonesia
- Authors
- Harriot Beazley (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
- Conference details
- Anthropology of Children and Youth Interest Group (ACYIG) Conference, 2017 (Los Angeles, United States, 03-Mar-2017–05-Mar-2017)
- Publisher
- Anthropology of Children and Youth Interest Group
- Date published
- 2017
- Organisation Unit
- Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450933702621
- Output Type
- Conference paper
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