Paper short abstract:

The presentation focuses on the experiences of motherhood of Mexican women engaged in seasonal agricultural labour in Canada. Underpinned by post-colonial feminism, the study explores the impact of the annual cycle of separation and reunification on mother-child relationships and mental health.

Paper long abstract:

The presentation focuses on the experiences of motherhood of Mexican women engaged in seasonal agricultural labour in Canada for over 10 years. Underpinned by post-colonial feminism, the study explores the impact of engaging in an annual cycle of separation and reunification on mother-child relationships and their mental health.

The temporal pattern of migratory journeys has received limited attention as an element shaping the relationships of migrant workers and their families. In contrast to the uncertainty regarding the time-frame for reunification that undocumented migrants and refugees commonly face, workers participating in the so-called temporary foreign worker programs are bound to a nonnegotiable schedule of arrival and return home. After a few months working abroad, workers must return home for a period of time before departing again, if re-hired.

In this context, seasonal labour migration results in long periods of 'apartness' (8 months) followed by periods of 'togetherness' in Mexico (4 months) for mother-child dyads. Findings from this critical ethnography underscore the central role that temporal patterns of migration play in the experiences of migrant mothers and their non-migrating kin, as mediated by labour precarity, belonging struggles, traditional gender norms, and racial discrimination.