Beyond Economic Transactions

<p class="ql-align-justify">This study examines the remittance practices of Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) as a multidimensional transnational phenomenon that extends beyond financial transfer to encompass sociocultural reproduction, identity formation, and future-oriented livelihood strategies. Based in Indramayu—one of Southeast Asia’s largest migrant-sending regions—the research employs an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design combining a survey (n = 200), six months of ethnography, in-depth interviews (n = 30), and focus group discussions (FGDs). Findings show that remittances function simultaneously as economic and relational social capital embedded in cross-border emotional economies. They are primarily allocated to daily household needs (70%), children’s education (53.3%), and asset accumulation such as housing and land (45%). High-frequency digital communication—reported by over 78% of respondents—creates a transnational social field (TSF) that enables remote household governance and economic decision-making. The predominance of women domestic workers (93.3%) highlights gendered vulnerabilities within the global care chain, where feminized labor from the Global South sustains care regimes elsewhere. This study reframes remittances as infrastructures of transnational life that shape hybrid identities, household resilience, and post-migration development. Its findings carry broader relevance for migrant-sending regions globally and inform gender-responsive protection, migrant-centered financial inclusion, and transnational collective investment policies.</p>