Nomadic boat‐dwelling children of Southeast Asia: Discourses on the Sama‐Bajau children and implications on decentring child migration studies

Abstract

AbstractThis article examines the discursive narratives in academic literature about the nomadic boat‐dwelling children of the Sama‐Bajau group in Southeast Asia. Through examining academic literature from 1989 to 2021, this paper explores how the literature shapes and mediates the narratives about Sama‐Bajau children. Findings suggest two threads of discursive narratives—one takes a developmentalist lens, and the other offers alternative narratives that reveal the complex identities of Sama‐Bajau children. These observations highlight the importance of nuanced conversations on child sea nomadism towards further developments of critical childhood studies on child migration in Southeast Asia and beyond.