Suspicious Mothering: Maternal Labor and Marriage Migration in South Korea

Inspired by theories of marginalized women’s maternal labor, this article contributes to the literature on the relationship between borders and parenting in Asia. After marital breakdown, marriage migrants in South Korea can extend their stay if they have South Korean children and can present evidence of mothering to the immigration authorities. This article presents a socio-legal analysis of cross-border mothering through in-depth interviews with migrants and relevant stakeholders. Taking cross-border mothering as a site where state intervention encounters migrant subjectivity, I examine maternal norms and scrutiny imposed by immigration authorities and performative maternal labor of migrant mothers.