On the Shoulders of Grandmothers

Gender, Migration, and Post-Soviet Nation-State Building

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book On the Shoulders of Grandmothers by Cinzia D. Solari, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Cinzia D. Solari ISBN: 9781351782258
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: August 3, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Cinzia D. Solari
ISBN: 9781351782258
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: August 3, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

On the Shoulders of Grandmothers is a global ethnography of Ukrainian transnational migration. Gendered migrant subjectivities are a key site for understanding the production of neoliberal capitalism and Ukrainian nation-state building, a fraught process that places Ukraine precariously between Europe and Russia with dramatic implications for the political economy of the region. However, processes of gender and migration that undergird transnational nation-state building require further attention. Solari compares two patterns of Ukrainian migration: the "forced" exile of middle-aged women, most grandmothers, to Italy and the "voluntary" exodus of families, led by the same cohort of middle-aged women, to the United States. In both receiving sites these migrants are caregivers to the elderly.

Using in-depth interviews and ethnographic data collected in three countries, Solari shows that Ukrainian nation-state building occurs transnationally. She examines the collective practices of migrants who are building the "new" Ukraine from the outside in and shaping both Italy and the United States as well. The Ukrainian state, in order to fulfil its First World aspirations of joining Europe and distancing itself from all things Soviet, is pursuing a gendered reorganization of family and work structures to achieve a transition from socialism to capitalism. This has created a labor force of migrant grandmothers who carry the new Ukraine on their shoulders. Solari shows that this post-Soviet economic transformation requires a change in the moral order as migrant women struggle to understand how to be "good" mothers and grandmothers and men join women in attempts to teach their children to be successful and honorable people, now that the social rules have drastically changed.

Looking at individual migrant women and men and their families in Ukraine allows us to see the production of neoliberal capitalism and new nationalism from the ground up and the outside in for a region that promises to be a flashpoint in our century.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

On the Shoulders of Grandmothers is a global ethnography of Ukrainian transnational migration. Gendered migrant subjectivities are a key site for understanding the production of neoliberal capitalism and Ukrainian nation-state building, a fraught process that places Ukraine precariously between Europe and Russia with dramatic implications for the political economy of the region. However, processes of gender and migration that undergird transnational nation-state building require further attention. Solari compares two patterns of Ukrainian migration: the "forced" exile of middle-aged women, most grandmothers, to Italy and the "voluntary" exodus of families, led by the same cohort of middle-aged women, to the United States. In both receiving sites these migrants are caregivers to the elderly.

Using in-depth interviews and ethnographic data collected in three countries, Solari shows that Ukrainian nation-state building occurs transnationally. She examines the collective practices of migrants who are building the "new" Ukraine from the outside in and shaping both Italy and the United States as well. The Ukrainian state, in order to fulfil its First World aspirations of joining Europe and distancing itself from all things Soviet, is pursuing a gendered reorganization of family and work structures to achieve a transition from socialism to capitalism. This has created a labor force of migrant grandmothers who carry the new Ukraine on their shoulders. Solari shows that this post-Soviet economic transformation requires a change in the moral order as migrant women struggle to understand how to be "good" mothers and grandmothers and men join women in attempts to teach their children to be successful and honorable people, now that the social rules have drastically changed.

Looking at individual migrant women and men and their families in Ukraine allows us to see the production of neoliberal capitalism and new nationalism from the ground up and the outside in for a region that promises to be a flashpoint in our century.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book China in My Life: A Historian's Own History by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Evaluation and Development by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Policing Gender and Alicia Giménez Bartlett's Crime Fiction by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Karl Marx by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Everyday Media Culture in Africa by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book International Diplomacy and Colonial Retreat by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Digital Media, Projection Design, and Technology for Theatre by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Reforming Education by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Effective Writing in the Public Sector by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Preventing Suicide Attempts by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book China's International Transboundary Rivers by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Walls of Indifference by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Emerging Issues and Methods in Personality Assessment by Cinzia D. Solari
Cover of the book Perspectives in Creativity by Cinzia D. Solari
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy