Petra Heyse

Breaking the in‐group out‐group: shifting boundaries in transnational partner choice processes of individuals of Moroccan, Tunisian, Algerian, Turkish, Punjabi Sikh, Pakistani and Albanian descent in Belgium

The ongoing popularity in some second and third generation migrants in Western Europe of marrying a partner from the countries of origin of their (grand)parents is considered to be problematic for micro and macro level societal integration of some migrant populations. Partner choice and marriage practices in migrant communities are problematized in public, media and political discourses by discriminating them from marriage practices in the ‘native’ population on the basis of three related dichotomies: (1) agency versus structure, (2) us versus them and (3) romantic versus instrumental marriage intentions dichotomies. By means of in-depth qualitative research methodologies on the partner choice processes of women and men of Turkish, Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, Punjabi Sikh, Pakistani and Albanian descent in Belgium and an intersectional theoretical approach, this article aims to deconstruct popular and simplifying dichotomous representations of partner choice processes in these migrant populations. Our study reveals how religious, gender and social class boundaries are stretched to meet personal/individual desires and preferences. Individuals do experience social restrictions when it concerns social group boundaries and the potential partners that they can look for. At the same time individuals are never fully determined by their social environment, they creatively develop strategies to by-pass certain restrictions and to some extent are able to meet their personal needs while being sensitive to the desires of their social environment.

Explaining female migration and integration patterns: A transversal analysis

Introduction Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets 1. Gender Sensitive Migration Research: Theory, Concepts and Methods Rilke Mahieu, Christiane Timmerman and Petra Heyse 2. Female Migration into Belgium Lieselot Vanduynslager and Johan Wets 3. Migrant Women in the Labor Market Andre Rea 4. The Migration Trajectories of Russian and Ukrainian Women in Belgium Petra Heyse, Rilke Mahieu and Christiane Timmerman 5. Female Filipino Migrants in Belgium: A Qualitative Analysis of Trends and Practices Fernando Pauwels 6. Gender and Latin American Migration to Belgium Marie Godin, Any Freitas and Andrea Rea 7. Migration of Romanian Women to Belgium: Strategies and Dynamics of the Migration Process Alice Poncelet and Marco Martiniello 8. The Migration of Nigerian Women to Belgium: Qualitative Analysis of Trends and Dynamics Fatima Zibouh and Marco Martiniello 9. Explaining Female Migration and Integration Patterns: A Transversal Analysis Any Freitas, Marie Godin, Petra Heyse, Fernando Pauwels, Alice Poncelet, Fatima Zibouh, Athanasia Mbah-Fongkimeh, Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets Conclusion Christiane Timmerman, Marco Martiniello, Andrea Rea and Johan Wets