Transnational Pakistani Connections

About this book

"Since restrictions on commonwealth labour immigration to Britain in the 1960s, marriage has been the dominant form of migration between Pakistan and the UK. Most transnational Pakistani marriages are between cousins or other more distant relatives, lending a particular texture to this transnational social field. Based on research in Britain and Pakistan this book provides a rounded portrayal of marriage in Pakistan, incorporating appreciation of the emotional motivations for and content of these transnational unions. The book explores the experiences of families and individuals involved including the neglected experiences of migrant husbands, and charts the management of the risks of contracting transnational marriages, as well as examining the consequences in cases when marriages run into conflict. Equally, however, the book explores the attractions of marrying 'back home', and the role of transnational marriage in maintaining bonds between people and places. Marriage emerges as a crucial, but dynamic and contested, element of Pakistani transnational connections. Contributing to an emerging field of study which focuses on emotion and relationships, this book is of interest to students and scholars in the field of migration studies, family studies and South Asia studies as well as social work, family law and immigration"--