When romantic love crosses borders: the case of mixednationality and transnational couples

Abstract

The analysis of mixed-nationality and transnational couples‟ portraits represented here aimed to explore their experiences and difficulties about adaptation to transnational arrangements, and how these experiences shape their spousal and familial dynamics over time and space. They were analysed by following the main research questions: a) In relation to transnational migration, what are the experiences of mixed-nationality and transnational couples?, b) What are the dynamics and characteristics of mixed-nationality and transnational couples‟ relationships and how do they change over time and space?, c) How transnational migration has influenced spousal and familial dynamics and future plans? These questions were conducted in a qualitative research on the basis of ethnography and semi-structured interviews. I found that their socio-demographic status of both members of the couples had an influence on reshaping family functions, gender relations and roles in both domestic and outside spheres. Their past trajectories reflected that they acknowledged their self, their partner and family members in cross-borders while experiencing a reformation about themselves and new forms of living with diversity. These couples created their own way of intimacy and privacy while reconsidering the globalized perspectives of loving, living, thinking, acting and interacting with their beloved ones through the lens of bi-nationalism and transnationalism. Mixed-nationality couples had fixed plans, on the contrary; both mixednationality and transnational couples could not have stable plans because of their specific transnational way of life. Besides, I also discovered that there were some alterations in the present life of the couple‟s social circle of family, friendship and socialization activities. Last but not least, I figured out that they chose to raise their children in multilingual and multicultural environment in order to improve children development.