Mothers on the Move

Book excerpt: In "Mothers on the Move, " anthropologist Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg explores how Cameroonian women in Germany seek to establish their belonging through birthing and caring for children and what happens to their ties to places of origin and places of migration in the process. The book is about the social actions and webs of relationships through which Cameroonian women manage the tension between mobility and belonging. Marriage and reproduction have long involved movement for Bamileke and other Grassfields women. Feldman-Savelsberg argues that predicaments regarding reproduction ( reproductive insecurity ) and the perils of belonging motivate migration, from rural to urban areas, and from cities to transnational locales. But each movement engenders new problems of belonging. Women manage these challenges by building up relationships with others; maintaining them through stop-and-start, emotion-laden exchanges and circulating stories regarding how to get along with families, with migrant community organizations, and with German state and social service actors stories that then crystallize into collectively held orientations and repertoires. Rather than talking in generalizations about Cameroonian migrant mothers, Feldman-Savelsberg strives to introduce a variety of characters, each with her unique history, concerns, and voice. She also enlivens ideas about migration and networks by describing scenes for example, a hometown association s year-end party, a celebration for a new baby, and a visit to the Foreigner s Office that then place women s individual voices within significant social interactional contexts. This work makes an important contribution to our strong lists on African migration to Europe, African women s studies, and related areas."