Zeit: Dienstag, 30. April 2013, 16.45-18.15 Uhr
Ort: Universität Wien, NIG, Hörsaal III
From the outset marriage and transnational migration intertwined in U.S. history. By examining some of the patterns through group and individual examples drawn from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this paper highlights key ways marriage tied to state policy and how visions of national identity shifted not just in the face of international relations but with the arrival of various migrant groups, particularly for people considered non-white. Supporting family formation and the model of family arising from coverture for some migrants meant easy chain migration for wives through the nineteenth century, even automatic citizenship in some cases. But Asian migrants faced massive hurdles to create and sustain families. Empire drove both migration and discrimination. In the twentieth century immigration policy related to marriage contributed to female majorities, for marriage turned into one of the easiest categories for entry. Policy could never fully control the desire for either close interpersonal relationships or for work opportunities. From the slaves who married despite bans to the gay and lesbian couples who moved overseas to have their marriages recognized, people challenged the laws. This overview melds gendered visions of family with the power of the state with global circuits of migration.
Suzanne M. Sinke, Associate Professor of History, Florida State University at Tallahassee, FL, derzeit Gastprofessorin in Salzburg.