Macquarie University

Asian Mobilities - SOCI317

Asia’s rapid pace of social and economic change is unprecedented. Much of this dynamism is underpinned by flows of people, capital, and culture within and from the region. This unit will explore how these flows relate to questions of labour, gender, family and life course, inequality, education, social development and new Asian capitalisms.
The unit begins with a look at contemporary flows of Asian migrants to Australia. It will explore new modalities of migration that have emerged in the last decade, and the social, cultural and economic impacts for Australia. The unit then moves to its primary focus of intra-Asia migration and mobility. Drawing on current empirical research on the Asian region, the unit will consider examples of Labour migration (low wage, middling and transnational elites); Labour offshoring; Foreign domestic workers; International marriage within Asia; Trafficking of migrant labourers and sex workers; Migrant labour brokers and intermediaries; How Asian states mediate and regulate migration flows; Transnational elites in and from Asia; Chinese business migrants, ‘Astronaut families’ and ‘Parachute Kids’; Transnational parenting and grand-parenting, Retirement migration in Asia; Asian migrant remittances and development; Circular and return migration; International student flows within Asia; Health tourisms; Transnational Migrant advocacy.