In dialogue with self and the world: Cape Verdean migrant pregnancy in Portugal

•Migrant women's agency is located within the wider influences of kinship and gender norms.•The women's sense of empowerment cannot be read from a detached analysis of their circumstances.•Objectification also results from the human capacity for self-reflection.•Unplanned pregnancies can be transformed into meaningful life projects.•More research is needed on chains of mothering across generations within mobile life worlds.

SynopsisThe voices of Cape Verdean migrant student mothers in Portugal are examined in the light of Archer's (2003) theory on the “inner dialogue”. The article frames the mothers as complex social actors who respond to the uncertainties surrounding unplanned pregnancy through self-reflection and dialogue with and about the world, turning the disorientation of unexpected motherhood into a meaningful project. The analysis reveals how the women's agency is located within the wider influences of kinship and gender norms and how these are already negotiated in the case of unconfirmed pregnancy.