Research project
Love, Migration, and the Nation-State: International Marriages between Finns and Americans in Finland and the U.S. in the Twentieth Century (Dissertation) My dissertation examines marriage and family life among transatlantic migrants in the 20th century, using marriages between Finns and Americans in Finland and the U.S. as a case study. The study brings together the study of international migration, immigration law, and family formation to show how international marriages are part of a long history of international migration, globalization, and nation states’ efforts to use immigration and nationality laws to limit or encourage transnational family formation. The three key questions are: - First, have international marriages increased in response to changes in immigration laws?
- Second, how have highly industrialized countries like Finland and the U.S. incorporated intermarried families of highly mobile, white, and usually middle-class persons into their discussions of immigration and multiculturalism?
- Finally, do intermarried Finns and Americans develop different transnational family patterns and national/ethnic identities when settled in a traditional nation of immigrants (the U.S.) compared to a country new to immigration (Finland)?
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