Body, Mind, and Emotion: Multi‐Sited Labour of Social Reproduction and Gendered Experiences of Rural Migrants from the Mekong Delta

Abstract In the context of global market integration, capital accumulation relies on social reproduction; yet unlimited accumulation disrupts the reproductive processes that sustain it. Vietnam is pursuing economic growth in the same fashion, relying on cheap migrant labour in urban areas that are stabilising rural areas through remittances and care, mostly from women. In such a process, migrant women have simultaneously negotiated between various spaces to distribute their physical, mental, and emotional labours, which is characterised as “multi‐sited labour of social reproduction” in this research. Without sufficient support systems, such a process has depleted the bodies, minds, and emotions of migrant women. The paper advocates for redistributing reproductive responsibilities among the state, market, and society to address the disproportionate burden borne by migrant women, thereby promoting social justice and equality. The paper also argues for a nuanced understanding of the temporal and spatial dynamics of social reproduction; thus, recognising migrant women's identities and agency in today's migration trends.