New Books in Economics Stuck at Home: Pandemic Immobilities in the Nation of Emigration
Aug 8, 2025
Dr. Yasmin Ortiga, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Singapore Management University, discusses her book on the pandemic's impact on migration in the Philippines. She highlights how travel restrictions caused unexpected immobility for many potential migrants, revealing the contrasting experiences of nurses and cruise workers. Yasmin explores the evolving narratives of Filipino migrant workers, focusing on their emotional struggles during repatriation and the disconnect between state policies and lived realities, shedding light on identity and community support amid crises.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Two Faces of Immobility
- Nurses were state-banned from migrating, forced to remain in the Philippines during the pandemic.
- Cruise workers faced immobility by unemployment, stranded despite willingness to leave.
Immobilities Reveal Hidden Migration Realities
- Immobility reveals the often overlooked barriers and delays in the migration process.
- It exposes the perspectives of source nations, not just the narratives of destination countries and migrants' mobility.
The Conditional Hero Narrative
- The hero narrative for Filipino migrants is uneven, shifting from migration success to staying home during crises.
- Public acceptance often upholds these shifting expectations, shaping migrant identities and state policies.
