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summarize the key points of the paper:Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierrette and Avila, Ernestine. 1997. "l'm Here, but l'm There: The Meaning of Latina Transnational Motherhood." Gender and Society 11(5): 548-571.


The paper "I'm Here, but I'm There: The Meaning of Latina Transnational Motherhood" by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Ernestine Avila examines the complex experiences of Latina mothers who navigate parenting across national borders. Here are the key points: 1. **Transnational Motherhood**: The authors define transnational motherhood as a phenomenon where Latina women maintain caregiving and parenting roles while being physically separated from their children, often due to immigration and labor migration. 2. **Dual Identity**: Latina mothers often experience a dual identity—being physically present in one location while emotionally and mentally tied to their children in another. This split creates a unique set of challenges and experiences. 3. **Emotional Labor**: The paper highlights the emotional labor involved in transnational motherhood, where mothers must manage their feelings of guilt, longing, and responsibility despite the distance from their children. 4. **Communication and Connection**: The authors discuss the importance of communication technologies (like phone calls and letters) in helping maintain emotional connections between mothers and their children, despite geographical separation. 5. **Cultural Expectations**: The study emphasizes cultural expectations that shape Latina mothers' identities, emphasizing the pressures to fulfill traditional maternal roles while contending with the realities of migration and economic necessity. 6. **Impact on Children**: The separated children often face their own challenges, including potential emotional distress and changes in family dynamics, which are influenced by their mothers’ absence but also by their ongoing presence in their lives. 7. **Social and Economic Context**: The paper situates transnational motherhood within broader social and economic contexts, exploring how systemic factors, such as immigration policies and labor market conditions, impact Latina women's lives and maternal experiences. Overall, Hondagneu-Sotelo and Avila's work sheds light on the complexities of motherhood within a transnational framework, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of Latina mothers as they navigate their unique circumstances.