From the “Republic of Cousins” to foreign spouses: Transnational marriages in Türkiye

Abstract

Marriage in Türkiye, as in many societies, is of great importance in the reproduction of life, and the choice of a spouse often involves the intervention of families and society. Within this structure, it is seen that marriages usually occur between extended family members or the same ethnic/sectarian groups. Nevertheless, mixed marriages between migrants with different ethnic, racial, religious, and cultural identities and settled people have increased in the last 30 years. The fluidity of the transnational social space created by marriages is effective in this increase. This paper reviews the current studies on mixed marriages in Türkiye from the perspective of transnational social spaces, which express a way of life somewhere between two communities and provides a link between them. It reflects the ways in which this fluidity affects the political and social positioning of mixed marriages and the agency of marriage migrants.