Navigating New home: Ethnographic Interview Study on English Language and Filipina Mothering Experiences in Korea

• In Event: Understanding and Valuing Immigrant Parents' Experiences, Knowledge, and Perspectives in Language Education

Abstract

In this paper, I investigate the role that the English language plays in the lives of Filipina immigrants in Korea as they navigate their new home as mothers using following research question: What impact does Filipina immigrant mothers’ knowledge of the English language have on their mothering experiences and the ways they navigate local communities in Korea? Using ethnographic interview data, I illustrate how language does not function as an objective means that always serves positive roles. While language skills are often promoted as a solution for difficulties immigrant mothers face during their time of transition, I argue that Filipina immigrant mothers’ language skills help us understand the complexities of relational power dynamics within their homes, workplaces, and local communities.

Author

• MinSoo Kim-Bossard, The College of New Jersey