Solidarity and Reciprocity with Migrants in Asia

Based on Catholic and Confucian social ethics, this book develops an ethic of solidarity and reciprocity with the migrants in Asia who are marginalized. Mary Mee-Yin Yuen draws off her own pastoral experiences in the Church, the situation of the wider Christian community, and the personal experiences of migrant women from various Asian countries in Hong Kong, to describe the features and practices of an ethical approach that emphasizes solidarity and reciprocity. Interdisciplinary in nature, this book integrates Catholic social ethics, moral philosophy, Chinese Confucian ethics, social sciences, and cultural studies to investigate the phenomenon of international and intra-national migration in Asia, particularly with regard to women migrants moving from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Mainland China to Hong Kong. 

“Yuen’s study of the immigration crisis brings into sharp focus the need for an ethos that supports a full realization of rights and responsibilities of immigrants and the communities that receive them. Emphasizing the relationship between social principles and virtue ethics, her examination is a model for ways to address complex social concerns throughout the globe by drawing from religious traditions that share a commitment to character formation of persons and communities.” (Marianne Farina, CSC, Professor of Theology and Philosophy, Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, USA)

“Appeal to cognate Christian and Confucian virtues, Yuen argues, lets us contextualize rights discourse; so that the Church’s teaching truly becomes learning...Yuen has made an immense contribution, not only in applying rights to the suffering of migrant women in Hong Kong, but to our reimagining rights and their place in our Christian heritage.  She has taught us not only to grieve, but to act.” (William O’Neill, S.J., Professor Emeritus, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University)

“Yuen argues that a contextualized vision of Catholic social teachings which listens to the oppressed is more adept at transforming attitudes and encouraging action. Her exploration of the natural law theories of Aquinas and the Confucian virtue ethics tradition of Wang Yang-ming distinguishes the book. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing authentic Christian living or using it as a theology textbook.” (Edmund Chia, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director Inter-religious Dialogue, Australian Catholic University)

“In this groundbreaking volume, Mary Yuen skillfully integrates principles, narratives, and sacred stories to respond to inhospitality and injustice in an age of migration. Utilizing concepts of moral self-cultivation, ren and harmony together with solidarity and virtue ethics, she provides a valuable, contextualized account of how Confucian and Catholic ethics can inform one another. Her welcome attention to moral imagination and emotion will help readers respond to migration challenges that human rights discourse alone remains insufficient to address. It is an excellent resource for classrooms and pastoral settings alike.” (Kristin E. Heyer, Professor of Theological Ethics, Boston College, USA)

Mary Mee-Yin Yuen is Professor of Moral Theology at the Holy Spirit Seminary College of Theology and Philosophy, Hong Kong. She is also a researcher of the Holy Spirit Study Centre and the Centre for Catholic Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She believes that her teaching and research work are inseparable from her social ministries.