Cross-Border Marriages: State Categories, Research Agendas and Family Practices

Cross-border marriages challenge the politics of belonging, with increasing state controls in Europe. This book examines how European states use specific categories to differentiate between acceptable and non-acceptable marriages, risking reproducing nation-centered epistemologies and reinforcing state-informed hierarchies. The chapters offer new insights and suggest ways to avoid these pitfalls, engaging with general social theory outside migration studies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 170 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Marriages that involve the migration of at least one of the spouses present a complex and multifaceted challenge to the politics of belonging. These unions intersect with two fundamental aspects of citizenship and family: the creation of legitimate and valued citizens and the establishment of acceptable familial relationships. In Europe, cross-border marriages have become the focus of increasing state controls, generating public concern and attracting scholarly attention. The study of these marriages is inevitably shaped by the concerns and priorities of the states involved. It is crucial to undertake a reflexive assessment of how the categories employed by state institutions and agents have influenced the study of cross-border marriages.

This collection of essays delves into the stakes of regulating cross-border marriages and the ways in which European states utilize specific categories (such as sham, forced, and mixed marriages) to differentiate between acceptable and non-acceptable unions. When researchers uncritically employ these categories, they risk perpetuating nation-centered epistemologies, reinforcing state-informed hierarchies, and perpetuating forms of exclusion. The chapters in this book offer fresh insights into a timely topic and provide practical strategies to avoid these pitfalls. They emphasize the importance of distinguishing between categories of analysis and categories of practice, adopting methodologies that deviate from the logic of nation-states, and engaging with broader social theories beyond the realm of migration studies.

This book will appeal to researchers and academics specializing in Sociology, Politics, International Relations, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Human Geography, Social Work, and Public Policy. Notably, all the chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, further contributing to the discourse on cross-border marriages and their implications.

Weight: 489g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032444864