Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MARMIGSEX (Marriage, Migration and Sexuality: African Migrants in Interracial Same-sex Partnerships)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-08-01 bis 2024-07-31
In an increasingly interconnected world, the introduction of same-sex marriage in numerous countries has had a profound impact on the lives of LGBTI individuals beyond their borders, even in places where homosexuality is illegal. The act of marrying a same-sex citizen of these nations now grants family migration rights to the non-citizen spouse. The research project "Marriage, Migration, and Sexuality: African Migrants in Interracial Same-sex Partnerships" (MARMIGSEX) seeks to delve into how same-sex marriage has emerged as a new and formal migration avenue for queer Africans. Specifically, it focuses on the phenomenon of same-sex marriage migration from sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Kenya and Ghana, to countries in the Global North (the USA and the Netherlands).
While in many Global North countries, the rising divorce rates and the increasing prevalence of children born out of wedlock, along with couples cohabiting without formal marriage, may suggest a diminishing significance of marriage, it has gained newfound importance for at least two distinct population groups: migrants and LGBTI individuals.
On the one hand, for migrants and aspiring migrants, cross-border marriage stands as one of the limited available pathways through which they can pursue their migration ambitions. As migration policies continue to evolve, becoming more selective and restrictive, marriage has become highly valued as one of the few options for international mobility. This holds especially true for those who do not fit into the privileged categories of migration, such as investors, highly skilled professionals, or students.
On the other hand, for LGBTI individuals, same-sex marriage has become a focal point of political contention and a top priority for the LGBTI movements. In Europe and the United States, LGBTI organizations have fervently advocated for the legalization of same-sex marriage, framing it as an issue of equality, often referred to as "marriage equality."
Both for migrants and LGBTI individuals, marriage has evolved into a means to assert their rights. However, governments have responded to the politicization of same-sex and cross-border marriages in different ways. On one hand, a substantial number of countries have expanded their definition of marriage to encompass same-sex couples and have liberalized family policies to ensure equality. On the other hand, most countries in the Global North have implemented various measures, such as income thresholds, civic integration requirements, and age limits, to regulate cross-border marriages and restrict marriage-related migration. These policies curtail the rights of spouses involved in cross-border marriages and, in many cases, deny couples the right to live together as a family.
This parallel development in most liberal democracies underscores a contradictory approach to marriage—one that is inclusive towards LGBTIs and exclusionary towards migrants. These two dimensions of the politics of belonging intersect in the regulation of same-sex marriage migration. Therefore, this project addresses a topic of pressing urgency and relevance for European and global politics.
While in many Global North countries, the rising divorce rates and the increasing prevalence of children born out of wedlock, along with couples cohabiting without formal marriage, may suggest a diminishing significance of marriage, it has gained newfound importance for at least two distinct population groups: migrants and LGBTI individuals.
On the one hand, for migrants and aspiring migrants, cross-border marriage stands as one of the limited available pathways through which they can pursue their migration ambitions. As migration policies continue to evolve, becoming more selective and restrictive, marriage has become highly valued as one of the few options for international mobility. This holds especially true for those who do not fit into the privileged categories of migration, such as investors, highly skilled professionals, or students.
On the other hand, for LGBTI individuals, same-sex marriage has become a focal point of political contention and a top priority for the LGBTI movements. In Europe and the United States, LGBTI organizations have fervently advocated for the legalization of same-sex marriage, framing it as an issue of equality, often referred to as "marriage equality."
Both for migrants and LGBTI individuals, marriage has evolved into a means to assert their rights. However, governments have responded to the politicization of same-sex and cross-border marriages in different ways. On one hand, a substantial number of countries have expanded their definition of marriage to encompass same-sex couples and have liberalized family policies to ensure equality. On the other hand, most countries in the Global North have implemented various measures, such as income thresholds, civic integration requirements, and age limits, to regulate cross-border marriages and restrict marriage-related migration. These policies curtail the rights of spouses involved in cross-border marriages and, in many cases, deny couples the right to live together as a family.
This parallel development in most liberal democracies underscores a contradictory approach to marriage—one that is inclusive towards LGBTIs and exclusionary towards migrants. These two dimensions of the politics of belonging intersect in the regulation of same-sex marriage migration. Therefore, this project addresses a topic of pressing urgency and relevance for European and global politics.
Ethnographic fieldwork took place in four countries: Ghana, Kenya, US, and the Netherlands. The fieldwork included interviews with partners in same-sex cross-border couples. Results of this fieldwork have been presented in conferences and academic publications.
The volume of research on family migration, especially of cross-border marriages, has expanded significantly, to the extent that it has now became a sub-field of migration studies. Migration scholars engage in political debates offering critical insights into the regulation of marriage migration. Nevertheless, the development of this field of research that parallels political debates on the regulation of marriage migration, has particular implications: the issues that are scrutinized and the ways they are framed in marriage migration scholarship have been inevitably affected by states’ concerns and priorities. Even when scholars mean to be critical of state policies, the use of state categories as analytical concepts often reinforce state-centered epistemologies.
MARMIGSEX has not relied on states’ definitions of “marriage” and the “family” and treated state categories of family and migration as categories of practice. It focused on two destination countries with different histories in the recognition of same-sex marriage (Netherlands in 2001, USA in 2015) and examined the mobility options and paths of cross-border same-sex couples and whether and how they managed to live together before and after the introduction of same-sex marriage. This approach expanded the field of inquiry and contributed to a reflexive assessment of how state categories have impacted the production of knowledge in the field of marriage and migration.
Several academic publications are in the pipeline as well as an article for non-specialist audience. A series of talks on my research for lay audiences have taken place in the Netherlands, Kenya and Ghana. Also, I have been interviewed for the podcast series of the Methods and Mobility Lab and the podcast series of the Migration Policy Institute.
MARMIGSEX has not relied on states’ definitions of “marriage” and the “family” and treated state categories of family and migration as categories of practice. It focused on two destination countries with different histories in the recognition of same-sex marriage (Netherlands in 2001, USA in 2015) and examined the mobility options and paths of cross-border same-sex couples and whether and how they managed to live together before and after the introduction of same-sex marriage. This approach expanded the field of inquiry and contributed to a reflexive assessment of how state categories have impacted the production of knowledge in the field of marriage and migration.
Several academic publications are in the pipeline as well as an article for non-specialist audience. A series of talks on my research for lay audiences have taken place in the Netherlands, Kenya and Ghana. Also, I have been interviewed for the podcast series of the Methods and Mobility Lab and the podcast series of the Migration Policy Institute.