Contextual mobility in Europe-Southeast Asia social spaces: Belgian-Vietnamese and Belgian-Laotian couples in focus

The increasing heterogeneity in ethnic, socio-cultural and politico-legal terms of Europe-Southeast Asia social spaces poses challenges to ‘mixed’ couples with differing nationalities and/or ethnicities to form and ‘do’ family.
As many societies within these spaces restrict migration and reinforce an ‘ideal’ family type, how do these couples live and navigate such spaces on an everyday basis? Drawing on migration and family scholarships from interdisciplinary perspectives, the present study will examine the contextual mobility of these partners—the way they position themselves in overlapping contexts (social, economic, political…) characterized with power relations and hierarchies.
Specifically, it will analyse the case of Belgian-Vietnamese and Belgian-Laotian couples in Belgium, Vietnam and Laos using ‘mixed’ research methods combining quantitative and qualitative data-gathering techniques. By studying less ‘visible’ couples in Europe-Southeast Asia social spaces, this research will bring interesting insights on the meanings of intimacy, family and nation.

Spokesperson

Asuncion FRESNOZA-FLOT
Laboratory of Anthropology of Contemporary Worlds
Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences

Dates
Created on September 5, 2018