Beyond Money: Remittance as Belonging and What Bangladeshi Migration Reveals about Nepali Migrant Life
- Hasan MahmudDetails
21 June 2026/७ असार २०८३ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे)
Research Seminar Series
Beyond Money: Remittance as Belonging and What Bangladeshi Migration Reveals about Nepali Migrant Life
Hasan Mahmud, Assistant Professor in Residence, Northwestern University, Qatar
Abstract:
This seminar explores migrant remittance beyond conventional economic explanations through the concept of “remittance as belonging.” Drawing on ethnographic research among Bangladeshi migrants in Japan, the United States, and Qatar, the talk argues that remittance is not simply a financial transfer motivated by self-interest or altruism. Rather, it is a social practice through which migrants sustain relationships, fulfill moral obligations, maintain dignity, and preserve a sense of home and belonging across borders.
The presentation examines how migrants send money not only for household needs, but also to sustain kinship ties, participate in family and community life, maintain social recognition, and negotiate responsibilities within transnational families. It highlights the emotional and relational dimensions of remittance and shows how migrants’ experiences in destination countries—including labor conditions, insecurity, and social exclusion—shape their remittance practices and attachments to home.
Although the empirical foundation of the seminar comes from research among Bangladeshi migrants, the talk reflects on the broader relevance of this framework for understanding Nepali migration, particularly in the Gulf region and Qatar. Bangladesh and Nepal share important experiences as labor-sending societies shaped by temporary labor migration, transnational family structures, and strong social expectations surrounding remittance.
About the Speaker:
Hasan Mahmud is assistant professor in residence at Northwestern University in Qatar. He has a PhD in sociology from the University of California Los Angeles, an MA in global studies from Sophia University in Tokyo, and an MSS and a BSS in sociology from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. He was a visiting faculty member in the Department of Sociology at Ball State University prior to coming to NU-Q.
His teaching and research interests include sociological theories, globalization, international migration and development, identity politics, and global ethnography. His research has appeared in such publications as Current Sociology, Migration & Development, Contemporary Justice Review, and Journal of Socio-economic Research and Development.