The Work of Waiting

This chapter analyzes waiting as a form of work and an essential condition that enables and perpetuates transnational migration. It situates remittances as a particular form of money with a future-oriented temporality, functioning not only as pure money but also as gifts. It shows that, while waiting for remittances or for the return of a spouse may begin as an act of love, it is susceptible to being transformed into a kind of work that requires the constant management of monetary flows and remakes the expectations and realities of transnational spousal relationships. This ethnography elaborates on the experiences of those who do not migrate but nonetheless maintain a critical dimension of migratory practice.