Introduction to Special Issue: Family Migration in Times of Crisis

Abstract

This introduction to the Special Issue on Family Migration in Times of Crisis explains why the concept of crisis is a useful prism to uncover new insights into family migration. It recognizes the multivalent character of crises and their tendency to merge and accumulate into what has been called ‘polycrisis’. It recognises critical perspectives on the concept of ‘crisis’, that it represents interpretations of events rather than events themselves and that crises are socially constructed and narrated. Crises present new risks and challenges for migrants and their families. The intersection of the temporalities of crisis with those of family migration can exacerbate periods of separation as well as stress and anxiety about how the family can reunify. The papers in this Special Issue, although they focus on diverse crises and use different approaches and methodologies, reveal some common themes. Crises ‘cascade’ and their impact are often greatest on more marginalized populations. They tend to expose and exacerbate existing inequalities, throwing them into sharper relief. Governments often respond to crises by reverting to more conventional norms of family life. The fragility of transnational life and its dependence on government approval are highlighted, as even the relatively privileged may find rights of movement are curtailed, although they may also more easily find solutions. Migrants and their families respond to crises by seeking to mitigate or avoid separation, and new associations, political contestations, and acts of solidarity may emerge, although their durability, given that interests can diverge over time and crises subside, is unclear.