For migrants, sending objects is almost as material as even only talking about them

What is it about?

Migrants and their families back home often send each other parcels via private couriers to keep in touch. Some have good access to the sending infrastructure, while others are left out because of distance and costs. Many bring items in luggage during visits home, but they are severely restricted in volume. During the pandemic, sending was temporarily halted. This article shows that, in the absence or reduced access to sending infrastructure, using objects previously sent, communicating via video calls, and even just talking about objects that could have been sent are all tangible indicators of transnational connections and their role in family practices.

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Why is it important?

Sending parcels seems unimportant and mundane, and it is assumed that migrants who do not use these services always chose to do so because these services are trivial. However, given the perfect opportunity to send and engage with objects in common practices with family members, many of these people would send, showing the importance of these services. The pandemic offers a perfect opportunity to see this interplay of materiality, immateriality and social ties, as even though sending temporarily stopped, the connection across borders continued in other registers of materiality - virtual, sensory, and spoken.

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