Social practices of Pakistani migrant workers in Malaysia: Conserving and transforming transnational affect

Abstract

This article, argues that migrant workers’ social practices within the local contexts in which diverse actors (co-workers, relatives, employers, agents and officials) and factors (such as wages, victimisation, bereavement and remittance) interact, creates emotions, and affects on both sides of the border. The diverse social practices and consequent emotions can either conserve or transform relationships with family, friends, and homeland within the transnational social fields. Social practices of victimisation and the precarious conditions in which they live make them feel insecure, alienated, and emotionally tensed. Some friends and relatives who acted as agents and sub-agents victimised them because such victimisers did not fear ostracism in the transnational social field. Furthermore, when victimised by agents, employers, and officials, they remain docile, which indicates that their agency is incapacitated. In this situation, the migrant workers felt excluded and marginalised. Therefore, their social practices were directed towards safe spaces such as ritual gatherings, living with fellow workers from the same district and engaging in intense communication with family members in Pakistan with a high degree of homeland orientation. In addition, remittances have affective resonance, which conserves transnational affect. Data was obtained from 35 in-depth informal interviews with Pakistani migrant workers in Malaysia.