International Journal of Intercultural Relations· 2026Q1
Eventful migration and intercultural self-formation: Ethical selves among Indonesian returnee migrant workers
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- 2026year
Short summary
Intercultural encounters during overseas work became enduring sources of ethical self-formation for 24 Indonesian female migrant workers, rather than just sites for adaptation.
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Key points
- 24 Indonesian female migrant workers were interviewed about their overseas work experiences.
- Intercultural encounters were retrospectively interpreted as ethically significant events, not just adaptation instances.
- Three ethical orientations emerged: cosmopolitan, convivial, and empathic.
- Migration encounters contribute to enduring ethical self-formation, not just communicative competence.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This article examines how returned Indonesian female migrant domestic workers retrospectively interpret the intercultural encounters they experienced during overseas employment. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 24 returnees from Cilacap, Indonesia, it explores how some encounters came to be understood as ethically significant after migration rather than merely as instances of cultural adaptation. Guided by Alain Badiou’s concept of the event, the analysis identifies three recurring ethical orientations that emerged across participants’ narratives: a cosmopolitan orientation characterized by expanded engagement with cultural difference, a convivial orientation centered on the practical labor of sustaining coexistence, and an empathic orientation expressed through ethical engagement with religious and cultural others. The findings contribute to intercultural adaptation and learning research by showing how intercultural encounters may become enduring sources of ethical self-formation rather than simply communicative competence or behavioral adjustment.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Demography
DemographySocial Sciences