Gender,Migration and the Public Sphere 1850-2005

The decision to emigrate has historically held differing promises and costs for women and for men. Exploring theories of difference in labor market participation, network formation and the immigrant organising process, on belonging and diaspora, and a theory of ‘vulnerability,’ A Global History of Gender and Migration looks critically at two centuries of the migration experience from the perspectives of women and men separately and together.

Uniquely investigating the subject globally over time, this book incorporates the history of migration in areas as far-flung as Yemen, Sudan, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Poland, the Soviet Union, the US, and the UK, an approach that allows for patterns to emerge over time. A Global History of Gender and Migration further shows that although there are various points on which migrant men and women differ, and several theories exist to explain these differences, this comprehensive guide offers a unifying thesis on the theories and practice of migration, adding to our insight into the mechanisms underlying the creation of differences between migrant men and women.

Marlou Schrover is an Associate Professor of Social History at Leiden University. She has published twelve books and over 60 articles, in recent years mostly on migration. Her latest publications include Illegal Migration and Gender in a Global and Historical Perspective (Amsterdam 2008) (with Joanne van der Leun, Leo Lucassen and Chris Quispel) and Komen en Gaan. Inmmigratie en Emigratie in Nederland vanaf 1550 (Amsterdam 2008) with Herman Obdeijn. She is currently leading a large (NWO VICI) research project on gender and migration.
Eileen Janes Yeo is Professor Emeritus of Social and Cultural History at the University of Strathclyde, where she was Director of the Centre in Gender Studies and active in creating a Scottish Migration Archives Network bringing together academics, arts professionals and community activists. Her extensive publications include The Contest for Social Science. Relations and Representations of Gender and Class (London, 1996); (ed.), Radical Femininity: Women’s Self-Representation in the Public Sphere (Manchester, 1998) and (co-ed.), Gender in Scottish History since 1700 (Edinburgh, 2006).

1. Introduction: Moving the Focus to the Public Sphere. Marlou Schrover and Eileen Janes Yeo. 2. Gender and Homeland in the Irish and Jewish Diasporas, 1850-1930. Eileen Janes Yeo. 3. Men and Women in Paris, 1870-1930. Leslie Page Moch. 4. Polish Liberators and Ostarbeiterinnen in Belgium During the Cold War: Mixed Marriages and their Differences for Immigrant Men and Women. Machteld Venken. 5. Why Make a Difference? Migration Policy and Making Differences Between Migrant Men and Women (The Netherlands 1945-2005). Marlou Schrover. 6. Children’s Citizenship, Motherhood and the Nation State. Betty de Hart. 7. Gendered Migrations and the Globalisation of Social Reproduction and Care: New Dialogues and Directions. Eleonore Kofman. 8. About Cleanliness, Closeness and Reliability: Somali and Ethiopian Domestic Workers in Yemen. Marina de Regt. 9. Where are the Girls? War, Displacement and the Notion of Home Among Sudanese Refugee Children. Lynette A. Jackson. Contributors. References. Index.