Sacred Enchantment, Transnational Lives, and Diasporic Identity: Filipina Domestic Workers at St. John Catholic Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

This article explores how influences from the homeland as well as notions of identity, class, and ethical behavior form the Filipino diasporic community. These notions are the filters migrants use to view and understand their relations with host citizens, religious leaders, and employers. By providing an ethnographic account of Filipino migrants in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this article explores the connection between transnational migration, diaspora, and religion, highlighting the migrants’ exercise of agency, religiosity, and sociality as they construct and inscribe their identity.

KEYWORDS: Transnational Migration • Diasporic Community • Religion • Sacred Space • Filipino Identity