Navigating Urban Belonging: Identity Fragmentation and Resilience Among Female Economic Migrants in Southeast Asian Cities

Abstract

Urban multiculturalism increasingly shapes the lived experiences of female economic migrants, who navigate complex processes of identity, belonging, and adaptation in metropolitan settings. This study examines how migrant women negotiate cultural identity in urban environments that are both diverse and subtly assimilationist. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, the research involved in-depth interviews with ten female migrants aged 23–46, residing in Jakarta and Surabaya, and originating from five different cultural backgrounds (Javanese, Batak, Minang, Sundanese, and Eastern Indonesian ethnic groups).

Findings reveal that participants experience cultural fragmentation, emotional labor, and identity concealment in response to societal expectations and urban anonymity. Many reported internal conflicts, public invisibility, and pressures to conform, leading to shifts in self-perception and emotional fatigue. Despite these challenges, women found empowerment through informal community support, religious gatherings, culinary practices, and cultural rituals, which provided emotional anchoring and a sense of reconstructed belonging.

The study suggests that for female migrants, cultural identity is not a linear trajectory of integration or resistance, but a fluid, emotionally charged negotiation shaped by everyday experiences. These insights point to the need for inclusive urban policies and culturally sensitive mental health services that address the specific needs of women migrants. By centering the affective dimensions of adaptation, this research contributes to migration studies and urban sociology, highlighting how resilience is embedded in ordinary acts of cultural affirmation.