A Reconstruction of Home and Identity: The Motivations and Consequences of Bengali Labor Migration to Singapore

Abstract

Singapore has consistently been the second most popular destination for Bengali migrant workers since 2013. While there is abundant literature on general Bengali labor migration statistics, there is a dearth of information on the motivations behind the migration, the experiences of being in a foreign land, and the consequences of migration on Bangladesh. In this thesis, I explore the social and cultural reasons Bengali males decide to migrate and document some of their experiences abroad. In the process, I signal new ways of understanding how home is re-imagined in Singapore. Through music, poetry, and migrant networks, these migrant workers are able to find a temporary solution for their isolation in a temporary work place. Upon return to home, they bring along with them stories and experiences that shape the development of their villages, that both lead to both modernization and a continuation of sending country men abroad.