Transnational Families in Turbulent Times

‘An incisive and timely collection that deepens our understanding of transnational family life in turbulent times. Connecting political upheaval and everyday institutional practices with intimate family relationships, it reveals how uncertainty is produced and prolonged across territorial borders. Its interdisciplinary contributions illuminate the unequal conditions under which families sustain care and connection, offering valuable insights for scholars and for those shaping policies and services affecting transnational families.’

Majella Kilkey, Professor of Social Policy, University of Sheffield, UK.

‘This edited collection takes an innovative leap into the ‘turbulence’ of transnational families’ experience of settling in European countries. The reader gains an understanding of the forbearance of transnational migrant family members making the best of bureaucratic conditionality, coping with complicated issues in a foreign language that they are struggling to learn, experiencing the threatening behaviour of far-right protesters as well as the kindness of strangers wanting to help migrants in their everyday lives.’

Deborah Fahy Bryceson, Honorary Professor, Centre of African Studies, School of Social & Political Science University of Edinburgh, UK.

‘Transnational Families in Turbulent Times offers a timely and compelling account of how families sustain relationships, care and belonging across borders in a world marked by growing uncertainty and disruption. Its distinctive contribution is to show how turbulence is produced and prolonged through migration regimes, institutions, and everyday bordering practices. Bringing together an impressive range of cases and disciplinary perspectives, this volume skilfully connects geopolitical transformations and governance processes with their uneven effects on family lives, mobilities and futures. An important contribution to the study of migration, family and transnationalism.’

Nando Sigona, Chair of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity (IRiS), University of Birmingham, UK.

'The interdisciplinary, empirically rich and geographically all-encompassing nature of this book comprises an inspiring collection for understanding the transnational family dynamics in contemporary societies in turbulent times. Transnational families navigate complex ways of being and connecting in societies that are not built for supporting their existence, making them vulnerable to disruptions, uncertainties and crises that take place at levels ranging from internal family dynamics to local, national and global events. By introducing the concept of turbulence, this book proposes a useful analytical framework to examine how transnational families struggle, survive or perhaps even thrive in different forms and temporalities of disruptions.'

Özge Bilgili, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Netherlands.