Rachel Silvey

Rachel Silvey is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and previously served as Richard Charles Lee Director of the Asian Institute. She holds faculty affiliations with Critical Development, Technology and Society (CDTS), Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI), and the Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies Program.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Washington, Seattle
• Dual B.A. in Environmental Studies and Southeast Asian Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz

Professor Silvey's research centers on women's labour migration with emphasis on Indonesia and Southeast Asia, spanning migration studies, cultural/political geography, and gender studies. Key themes include:

• Migrant domestic workers' rights and structural violence
• Gendered migration governance and the Kafala system
• Transnational social networks and economic development
• Religion and rights of migrant women in Gulf states

Her current work examines Indonesian/Filipino domestic workers in Singapore/UAE through NSF-funded research and SSHRC Partnership Project leadership.

Recent publications (2020-2023) reveal concentrated focus on migrant domestic worker precarity across Asia/Middle East, with recurring analysis of:

• Unfree labour conditions and "soft violence" mechanisms
• Gendered punitive control systems
• Transnational policy frameworks

Her scholarship consistently employs transnational feminist lenses to dissect migration governance.

No scientific awards were mentioned in source materials.

Professor Silvey secures major funding including:

• US National Science Foundation grants for Singapore/UAE domestic worker research
• SSHRC Partnership Project leadership on "Gender, Migration and the Work of Care"
• Prior projects on Indonesian migration networks and Southeast Asian-American employment

She collaborates extensively with Professor Rhacel Parreñas and contributes to Professor Ito Peng's SSHRC Partnership Project research team.