Mothering from the Margins

Ethnographic Reflections on the Gendered Politics of Rohingya Mothers in India

Bibliographic Data

ID11380880
AuthorsRaksha Gopal (0009-0009-7460-5487, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, corresponding author)
Year2025
Publication date2025-04-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Migration Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0197-9183 • E-ISSN: 1747-7379
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/01979183251331872
OpenAlexW4409675341
ISBN9791832513318
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited59

This article analyses the everyday experiences of stateless Rohingya refugee women mothering and raising families within refugee settlements in Delhi. Centering the narratives of refugee women, I argue that motherhood is a site for the governance of migration, where insecurities are felt and agency may be expressed. First, I illustrate the tensions between the gendered expectations on Rohingya mothers — rooted in intersecting social, cultural and familial norms — and the insecurities they face as a result of their displacement in India. These gendered expectations increase women's caregiving and social reproduction responsibilities while simultaneously limiting their mobility, access to employment, resources, and social support. Secondly, I demonstrate how Rohingya mothers continuously negotiate a sense of security for themselves and their children against the insecurities engendered by formal governance systems of the Indian State. Finally, I explore how non-state humanitarian organizations and NGOs play a crucial role in the governance of refugee women, shaping not only their access to resources and aid but also women's identities and roles as mothers. As a result, Rohingya women become key actors linking state and non-state governance to the everyday practices of motherhood

Ethnography · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Anthropology · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Cambodian History and Society · Gender Studies · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies

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