Policy Press
Six Transnational grandparenting: the intersection of transnationalism and translocality
Abstract
Using the case of transnational childcare by Chinese grandparents in Canada, this chapter presents a perspective on transnational grandparenting beyond a narrow cultural lens. Drawing on theories of transnationalism and translocality, it analyses three interconnected aspects of transnational grandparenting: (1) intergenerational love in the context of neoliberal care restructuring; (2) intergenerational families in the context of border control; and (3) generational reciprocity in the context of cultural rupture. It is concluded that an exploration of the intersection of transnationalism and translocality can contribute to a broader, contextualised perspective from which to understand the dynamics, dissonance, and effects of transnational grandparenting. This approach shows promise for revealing the complex intersections, including tensions, between mobility and locality, and thus allows a less linear and more open and inclusive conceptualisation of the manifold ways in which transnational grandparenting is constituted.
Abstract
Using the case of transnational childcare by Chinese grandparents in Canada, this chapter presents a perspective on transnational grandparenting beyond a narrow cultural lens. Drawing on theories of transnationalism and translocality, it analyses three interconnected aspects of transnational grandparenting: (1) intergenerational love in the context of neoliberal care restructuring; (2) intergenerational families in the context of border control; and (3) generational reciprocity in the context of cultural rupture. It is concluded that an exploration of the intersection of transnationalism and translocality can contribute to a broader, contextualised perspective from which to understand the dynamics, dissonance, and effects of transnational grandparenting. This approach shows promise for revealing the complex intersections, including tensions, between mobility and locality, and thus allows a less linear and more open and inclusive conceptualisation of the manifold ways in which transnational grandparenting is constituted.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction: widening the lens on grandparenting 1
-
The demographic and welfare-state contexts of grandparenting
- The demography of grandparenthood in 16 European countries and two North American countries 23
- Grandparental childcare: a reconceptualisation of family policy regimes 43
-
Grandparenting in contexts of economic and societal development
- Grandparenting in developing South East Asia: comparative perspectives from Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam 65
- Second-parenthood realities, third-age ideals: (grand)parenthood in the context of poverty and HIV/AIDS 89
-
Transnational grandparenting
- Transnational grandparenting: the intersection of transnationalism and translocality 113
- Transnational grandmother–grandchild relationships in the context of migration from Lithuania to Ireland 131
-
Gender, intersectionalities and grandparenting
- The composition of grandparent childcare: gendered patterns in cross-national perspective 151
- Class-based grandfathering practices in Finland 171
- Grandfamilies in the United States: an intersectional analysis 189
-
Grandparental roles, agency and influence
- How grandparents influence the religiosity of their grandchildren: a mixed-methods study of three-generation families in the United States 211
- Can Chinese grandparents say no? A comparison of grandmothers in two Asian cities 233
- “I am not that type of grandmother”: (non)compliance with the grandmother archetype among contemporary Czech grandmothers 253
- Conclusions: the grandparents’ century? 271
- Index 285
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction: widening the lens on grandparenting 1
-
The demographic and welfare-state contexts of grandparenting
- The demography of grandparenthood in 16 European countries and two North American countries 23
- Grandparental childcare: a reconceptualisation of family policy regimes 43
-
Grandparenting in contexts of economic and societal development
- Grandparenting in developing South East Asia: comparative perspectives from Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam 65
- Second-parenthood realities, third-age ideals: (grand)parenthood in the context of poverty and HIV/AIDS 89
-
Transnational grandparenting
- Transnational grandparenting: the intersection of transnationalism and translocality 113
- Transnational grandmother–grandchild relationships in the context of migration from Lithuania to Ireland 131
-
Gender, intersectionalities and grandparenting
- The composition of grandparent childcare: gendered patterns in cross-national perspective 151
- Class-based grandfathering practices in Finland 171
- Grandfamilies in the United States: an intersectional analysis 189
-
Grandparental roles, agency and influence
- How grandparents influence the religiosity of their grandchildren: a mixed-methods study of three-generation families in the United States 211
- Can Chinese grandparents say no? A comparison of grandmothers in two Asian cities 233
- “I am not that type of grandmother”: (non)compliance with the grandmother archetype among contemporary Czech grandmothers 253
- Conclusions: the grandparents’ century? 271
- Index 285
