Mothers, wives and… massage parlour girls? : how China’s “study mothers” negotiate social boundaries and stereotypes in Singapore

Abstract

Since the early 2000s, many “study mothers” from mainland China (peidu mama) have undertaken the transnational “project of education” by accompanying their children to study in Singapore (Yeoh and Huang 2005). Coinciding with this period was the Singapore government’s launch of the “Global Schoolhouse” initiative to attract international students and develop the country into a world-class educational hub. What is interesting, however, is that there are multiple tensions between this initiative and state policies which heavily restrict peidu mama. This paper first examines the ways in which peidu mama have been “securitised” through state discourses on “good motherhood”. It then discusses other ways in which peidu mama face symbolic domination and yet are able to exercise their agency to resist it. This paper also suggests that the discrimination they face stems from their nationality, rather than their position as study mothers. It further argues that the “Global Schoolhouse” can be considered a misnomer for Singapore’s education industry.