Transnationalism from Below: Evidence from Vietnam-Taiwan Cross-Border Marriages

Abstract

This paper examines marriage migration in Asia through the lens of transnationalism. We pull together results from various studies we conducted on marriage migration in Vietnam and Taiwan between 2004 and 2010, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Our main contention is that marriage migration constitutes a significant vector of social change for both sending and receiving areas of migrants. We examine the gendered aspects of this transformation, since the vast majority of migrant spouses in Asia are women. We use the concept of ‘transnationalism from below’ to frame the social impact of marriage migration. In this paper, we first review activities of marriage migrants and their families that constitute either economic or social transnationalism. In the second part, we discuss how these transnational activities contribute to social change in both societies. In brief, the paper shows the far-reaching significance of this migration flow for the region and aims to move forward the conceptualization of marriage migration in Asia.