Citizenship Projects for Marriage Migrants in South Korea: Intersecting Motherhood with Ethnicity and Class

Abstract

The growing scale of international marriage migration, especially intra-regional marriage migration in Asia, has transformed the ethnoscape in destination countries. Some states, such as South Korea, have taken relatively inclusive actions regarding women marriage migrants. By closely examining the legal structure and public policies and programs, this article examines the formation of both legal and substantive citizenship for Filipina marriage migrants in South Korea. The article demonstrates that the state projects emphasize marriage migrants' role as biological and cultural reproducers of “Koreans,” thus constructing “ethnicized maternal citizenship.” This state project, the article argues, paradoxically promotes cultural assimilation while relegating marriage migrants as gendered dependents and ethnic others. The article examines the women's diverse responses to the citizenship projects, including appropriation, ambivalence, and resistance, finding that an important factor driving the responses is the women's socioeconomic status after migrating. The emphasis on family roles in the state-based migration programs also means that marriage migrants must negotiate the boundaries of citizenship practices not only institutionally but also within the families.

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