The transnational migration experience of women is informed by various socio-cultural factors in the home country and in the destination country. As migration is a complex phenomenon, it requires nuanced perspectives to understand the interplay of multiple factors which influence the migration experiences. This paper attempts to map out how migration experiences amid a political event (the Iraq war) transform the everyday lives of Malayali nurses. The study insights inform the larger debate on the migration of South Asian women.
A better standard of living through migration is one of the primary motives for many Malayali women to pursue a career in nursing. The migration possibilities have helped to improve the perception of the nursing profession in Kerala. Also, it challenged the traditional gender roles associated with women’s employment outside the home.
This paper is an attempt to document the transnational migration experiences of Malayali nurses who were rescued by the Government of India from Iraq in 2014 during the violent insurgency by the Islamic State. Using a feminist ethnography method, it tries to analyse how the violent conflict affect their migration experience and how did it impact their families back at home. Also, it tries to explore the support mechanisms provided by the government for them after being rescued from Iraq.
In-depth interviews were conducted with five nurses rescued from Iraq by the Indian government with the help of virtual platforms and in-person meetings.
The nurse’s experiences of the Iraq war in 2014 were different from the media portrayal of the same incidents. The study argues that the far-reaching implications of the violent insurgency in Iraq have been reflected in the personal and professional life of the nurses. However, the intensity is interlinked with the socio-economic positionalities of these women.
