ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the mechanisms of expatriate migration: the processes by which homes are left and new lives are made. It discusses how key differences exist according to gender, location, time and occupation; and that these reveal the wide-ranging heterogeneity of white expatriate lives and performances of whiteness. The chapter examines the ways in which work and organizations frame departures and the early negotiations which occur in the new places of migration. It analyses who exactly are the ones to take the plunge and work abroad, showing the vast diversity in identities and biographies within this broad group. The issue of women's availability for expatriate postings is complex, subtle and linked to stereotypical assumptions about women in international management and discriminatory practices in organizations. Just as expatriate life varies considerably by location, so it also does according to occupation and organizational context. The new location is 'shrouded with ambiguity, due to unknown language and customs'.
