GeoDiskurse in cooperation with: Transient Spaces Lecture Series. Lecture is on 13th June 2024,10:15 until 11:45 at Hörsaal 5, University of Innsbruck. Title: Urban public spaces as catalysts for empowerment and social inclusion. By Hooshmand Alizadeh.

Moving Filipino domestic workers to mainland China: The role of the migration industry

In recent years, while scholarly work on new immigrant destinations (NIDs) within the US and Europe has increased, migration transition in Asia and the role and significance of migration industry in promoting the emergence of NIDs have been given little attention. This is a particularly significant lacuna as some Asian nations are undergoing dramatic migration transition despite the lack of immigration regulatory infrastructure. In this context, focusing on the role of commercial intermediaries play in the formation of NIDs is an important perspective in understanding migration transition in Asia. Drawing on qualitative interviews with Filipino domestic workers and intermediaries, this paper analyses how intermediaries promote mainland China as a new destination for the Filipino domestic workers through creating a new promising market, border-crossing tactics, as well as managing migrant workers using training and control strategies at ground level.

Heidelberg University, INF 231, Room SR 5

28th May 2026, 14:15 – 15:45

Poster of Hui’s lecture:

Speaker

Assoc. Prof. Hui Chen

Wuyi University, China

Hui Chen is an Associate Professor at Wuyi University, China, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University. Trained as a human geographer, she obtained her PhD from Sun Yat-sen University. Her research primarily investigates the intersection of migration geography, transnational labor mobility, gendered labor, and political geography. Her research focuses on the transnational mobility and socio-spatial practices of Filipino female domestic workers in mainland China. Her extensive fieldwork explores the movement and everyday life of Filipino domestic workers to mainland China, examining the complex governance and informal infrastructures underlying these flows.

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