1 July: PhD Defence “Living Apart Together Across Borders; How Ghanaian couples form, transform, or dissolve in the context of international migration” by Kim Caarls
Living Apart Together Across Borders; How Ghanaian couples form, transform, or dissolve in the context of international migration
PhD Defence by Kim Caarls
Supervisor: prof.dr. V. Mazzucato
Abstract: The prevailing notion that all migrants in the Netherlands want to unite their families by bringing the rest of their relatives here demonstrates a lack of understanding for the familial context in which these migrants live. This study on Ghanaian couples and families shows that long-term family relationships can be maintained across borders, sometimes with respect to the prevailing sociocultural practices in the country of origin. A restrictive migration policy, however, can undermine the constitution and maintenance of long-term transnational family relationships. A strict policy can also hinder the mobility of migrants (e.g. the high cost of residence permits, hard-to-obtain tourist visas, etc.), which makes it difficult if not impossible for migrants to visit family members in Ghana or for other family members to visit the Netherlands.