Family Life Under Lockdown: Can Filipino Transnational Families Survive Restricted Spatial Mobility?
摘要
During the coronavirus pandemic, physical mobility and the location of people in relation to others were extremely scrutinized and regulated. As well, pre-existing conditions of physical dispersion intensified; leaving family members with feelings of disorientation, disconnection and, in some cases, despair. Consequently, several questions regarding the sustainability of relationships maintained across geographical spaces become necessary. Under conditions of continual travel restrictions, lockdowns and other strict public management of physical mobility, how can Filipino transnational families recapture and sustain a semblance of normality and connected co-presence? Are online platforms and various other communication media enough to keep family connections active and thriving across time and space? Based on findings from an ongoing ethnographic study, in this paper, I elaborate how these families craft and utilize sophisticated ways of exchanging care through ICTs, notwithstanding the arduous emotional and technical labour family members perform. This paper engages with issues regarding the virtual (re)construction of temporal and spatial intimacy and the attendant challenges involved. The paper also examines how Filipino transnational family life is embedded in complex systems of migration, mobilities and socially-constructed demands. By interrogating these issues, I hope to further the discourse surrounding whether and how ICTs facilitate new and potent forms of intimacy, affection and virtual kinship, even in turbulent times.