In the midst of recent research, I came upon an essay on South Asian motherhood and its manifestation within diasporic contexts. It was a well-articulated piece that spoke about the challenges that South Asian mothers confront, especially when they are alienated from the contexts of their personal origins.

A term stood out for me, “deskilling”, a reference to what happens to someone when they are dislocated by the process of immigration. Take a refugee as an example. Someone who may have been a practising physician in their local context, armed with the requisite degrees, is compelled to make home in another country where their degree is simply not recognised. This means they cannot practice the skills they acquired or honed over their careers and have to re-acquire a degree within the new context or learn a new skill or find whatever job is available that can help them secure some financial autonomy.