300657 Transnational families and transnational care (MA: Soziologie der Globalen Welt) (S) (WiSe 2023/2024)

Migrants are often separated from their family by national borders and distance and have to apply for family reunion in the country of settlement. Despite the geographic separation, these migrants and their relatives who “stayed behind” continue to maintain a sense of “familyhood” (Bryceson and Vuorela 2002) through transnational care and support practices. Often childcare and aged care for the elderly parents is organised across geographical distances. Simultaneously, providing the household income from afar can be a migration motive.

This course deals with the body of research on transnational migration and in particular transnational families. It discusses concepts such as co-presence and transnational social support (Baldassar et al 2007), presenting regional examples from all over the world. It also explores the restrictions and obstacles for transnational family care through migration- and welfare regimes (Brandhorst 2020). Finally, transnational family care of refugees and asylum seekers is discussed. Furthermore, the impact of the physical distancing measures and the closures of national borders in the context of COVID-19 on transnational families is examined.

In this seminar students who would like to do a graded examination are encouraged to do their own small empirical research in the field of transnational family studies.

Bibliography

Cienfuegos, J, R Brandhorst, R, and D. Bryceson (eds). (2022). Handbook of Transnational Families Around the World. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research Series. Springer, Cham.

Bryceson, D and Vuorela (eds.) (2002): The transnational family : new European frontiers and global networks. Oxford/New York: Berg.