Transnational families in the light of the practice-based approach

Main Article Content

Małgorzata Szyszka

Abstract

Today, international migration is one of the main factors that determine functioning of families. Transnational families and transnational parenting are becoming increasingly more common and have been gaining considerable interest of researchers and social practitioners. One perspective that may be useful for examining transnational families is the practice-based approach. The concepts put forward by Morgan and Finch (‘doing’ and ‘displaying’ family) help to analyse families not as structures, but as everyday practices which constitute them (Morgan) and which must be associated with a system of meanings to be displayed (Finch). In the article, the analysis of transnational family practices will focus on the ‘tools’ for displaying (Finch) that are characteristic of transnational family life, and it will be based on the results of Polish and international studies. The article will discuss the tools proposed by Finch, such as physical objects or the use of narratives, as well as the use of technology in communication and taking care of children, as these practices are specific to transnational families. Those ‘tools’ for displaying show that transnational families are flexible, they are constantly happening, and by being embedded in broader systems of meanings, they become acceptable.

Article Details

How to Cite
Szyszka, M. . (2020). Transnational families in the light of the practice-based approach. Studia Demograficzne, (2(176), 113–129. https://doi.org/10.33119/SD.2019.2.6
Section
Original research papers & review papers

References

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