Abstract
As a refugee, an immigrant, a Romanian, a United States citizen, a Caucasian, and a disabled woman, I am forever what Espin and Dottolo call “betwixt and between” (p. 302) and what Mattar and Pestana call “ni de qui ni de alla”—neither from here nor from there (p. 253). I have an accent in every language that I speak. My own identities carry the weight of various privileges and multiple minority statuses, depending on where I am. In Gendered Journeys, Espin and Dottollo highlight what I learned early on: With multiple minority statuses, there are also multiple systems of oppression. My journey was and is gendered, similar to those of the women who make up 50% of the 54.96 million individuals who are internally displaced, refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and migrants today (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee, 2015).
Espin and Dottolo’s compilation of essays explores the pervasive, multisystemic effects of world societies on gender through the lenses of psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography, health, and law. In each of the four sections, Espin and Dottolo provide an introduction with the necessary social, legal, economic, and historical contexts that enhance our understanding of the complexities that women face in their intranational and international journeys. Quantitative and qualitative studies and personal narratives bring life and depth to the subject matter. The majority of the chapters conclude with much needed recommendations for practice, demonstrating how mental health, social work, and all professionals and scholars working with migrant women can help them better.
In her introduction, Espin asserts that a feminist gender analysis is needed because, in migrations “gender is a central organizing axis of power, alongside other social structures such as age, class, race, ethnicity, nationality, and so on” (p. 2). The intersectionality of identities leads to questions about the power structures of the many gendered systems in place all over the world. She follows up in Part 1, “Place, Race, Memory and Migration,” with the role of “memories” and “home” and how both individual and collective memories safeguard identities and serve as ways to transmit not only culture but intergenerational trauma as well. Suyemoto and Donovan continue Part 1 with “conocimiento,” which is “a concept of emotional, cognitive, and spiritually empowered awareness and action” that “reflects the feminist consciousness of women of color” (p. 56). The authors remind us that the personal is political, and it is not just the oppression of women that is problematic but “racialized sexism and gendered racism” (p. 57) in a White European male world.
Part 2, “Work, Social Class and ‘Traditional’ Gender Roles,” includes immigrant Asian women in the United States who face role reversal, the intersectionality of multiple identities, and the constant power negotiations required on a daily basis. In Part 3, “Violence, Resistance and Resilience, and the Intergenerational Impact of Migration,” the authors courageously give voice to women who have lived through domestic violence, torture, rape, sexual violence, political violence, and many other atrocities. This section not only highlights the intersectionality of lesbian and transgender women but also showcases women who have become empowered “líderes” (leaders) in the community, helping each other heal and transform. In Part 4, “Intergenerational Impact of Migration,” the authors examine the second-class citizenship of first-generation immigrant children, discuss nationality and ethnicity, and highlight the powerful legacy of the intergenerational transmission of trauma, food, memories, and culture.
Building on the earlier scholarship of Refugee Women and Their Mental Health: Shattered Societies, Shattered Lives, edited by Cole, Rothblum, and Espin (2013), Gendered Journeys: Women, Migration and Feminist Psychology is a significant and comprehensive compilation in psychology, examining the migration of women throughout the world. It is a superb resource for all programs, professionals, and students in counseling, psychology, behavioral health, social work, sociology, anthropology, and public health.