IM HERE, BUT IM THERE - THE MEANINGS OF LATINA TRANSNATIONAL MOTHERHOOD

Latina immigrant women who work as nannies or housekeepers and reside in Los Angeles while their children remain in their countries of origi n constitute one variation in the organizational arrangements of mothe rhood. The authors call this arrangement ''transnational motherhood.'' On the basis of a survey, in-depth interviews, and ethnographic mater ials gathered in Los Angeles, they examine how Latina immigrant domest ic corkers transform the meanings of motherhood to accommodate these s patial and temporal separations. The article examines the emergent mea nings of motherhood and alternative child-rearing arrangements It also discusses how the women view motherhood in relation to their employme nt, as well as their strategies for selectively developing emotional t ies with their employers' children and for creating new rhetorics of m othering standards on the basis of what they view in their employers' homes.