Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-788cddb947-kc5xb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-10T01:58:21.754Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - Transnational Ties: Narrating Relationality, Resources and Dynamics over Time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2024

Louise Ryan
Affiliation:
London Metropolitan University
Get access

Summary

Introduction

Ever since the 1990s’ ‘transnational turn’ in migration studies (Schiller et al, 1992), there has been a huge body of research on the salience of migrants’ identification and connection with their origin countries (for example, Faist and Ozveren, 2004; Parreñas, 2005; Goulbourne et al, 2010; Bryceson and Vuorela, 2020).

However, as Dahinden notes, ‘the initial euphoria’ about transnationalism ‘has been replaced by a certain sobriety’ (2005: 192): ‘While the transnational perspective brings interesting insights to the study of migration processes’, she cautions that ‘transnational ties and social relations must not be presumed but rather carefully analysed’ (Dahinden, 2005: 191). The fact that migrants have transnational connections tells us very little about what is actually going on within those relationships (Ryan and D’Angelo, 2018; Nowicka, 2020). SNA can reveal much about the make-up, meaning and dynamism of transnational ties (Bilecen et al, 2018; Lubbers, et al, 2021). The first aim of this chapter is to apply the framework of telling network stories in order to explore the meaning of long-distance relationships and the resources flowing therein.

Of course, migrants’ cross-border communications are not new. Historians have studied the importance of long-distance correspondence, especially letters, over the centuries (Skrbiš, 2008). As Nancy Foner (1997) notes, many transnational practices hailed as ‘new’ actually have a long history. Nonetheless, a key difference nowadays is the extent to which technology can create a sense of co-presence in real time (Madianou and Miller, 2013). So-called ‘transconnectivity’ can mean that migrants feel part of the everyday lives of relatives back home (King-O’Riain, 2015). However, such technological connections are not without limits (von Koppenfels et al, 2015) and rarely replace the need for proximate physical contact, especially hands-on care with children (Ryan, 2007a) or elderly relatives (Wilding and Baldassar, 2009). Hence, the chapter's second aim is to consider how migrants connect transnationally and the changing patterns of long-distance communication over generations.

Through network stories, including visualisation techniques, and longitudinal methods, I also seek to understand relational change over time (Ryan and D’Angelo, 2018). Migrants’ continued embedding in transnational relationships cannot be taken for granted (Ryan et al, 2021). Despite communication technologies, ties may weaken through prolonged separation. Hence, the chapter's third aim is to analyse how transnational ties ebb and flow, with changing needs, through different life course stages (Ryan, 2018).

Type
Chapter
Information
Social Networks and Migration
Relocations, Relationships and Resources
, pp. 128 - 151
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×