GIL VHAL M.

MANGANTULAO
Master of Arts in English
Prof. Jennifer Labugen Edroso
Qualitative Research in English as a Second Language

Transcending Inequality: A Grounded Theory Study of Filipino Factory Workers in

Taiwan Reference

Reference: Sun, Peter C. (2013). Transcending Inequality: A Grounded Theory Study of Filipino
Factory Workers in Taiwan (https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org)
I. Difficult Concepts

1. Transcending Inequality
2. Transnational Community Life

II. Insights

A. The notion of transcending is a new concept in the literature. Productive of a

sense of movement, it captures Filipino factory workers’ continuous desire to
overcome situations of subordination via an ecology of individual, social, cultural,
and spiritual assets. Its purchase as a concept lies in its groundedness in the
language of the participants. Bonding, for instance, calls for an expanded
understanding of family as a template for relating to all people, irrespective of
blood ties. Attending to these strengths and nuances can sensitize researchers and
practitioners to ways to increase the pre-existing capacities of migrant workers.
Transcending is also a paradoxical concept, situated within the constant
movement, fluidity, and hybridity of transmigration. The most salient paradox is
that not all participants “transcend” their struggles by directly challenging or
combating inequality.

III. Questions
1. How do you define inequality?
2. Based on the study, did you find grounded theory difficult? Why? Or Why
not?