Narratives of mothers in diaspora: Motherhood reconstruction in Chinese transnational families

Abstract

This paper attempts to map the way that gender inequalities have shaped experiences of contemporary Chinese mothers and their role-negotiation in transnational families. Narrative inquiry is used not only as methodology but also as phenomenon experienced by the mothers and the author. The narratives of three mothers both confirm and counter the master cultural narrative of motherhood of contemporary China as well as the stereotypical notion of a Chinese “Tiger Mom” in the United States; their narratives and diasporic experiences shaped by the transnational social field are far more complex than either of these two narratives taken on their own. It is imperative to rethink the complex intersection of education, gender and migration in the contemporary Chinese diaspora in the United States. In so doing, we are able to deconstruct the unitary concept of motherhood and womanhood, and reconceptualize their meanings in a more sociohistorical locale as well as a global and transnational context.